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Green Build Kentucky Gives an Official Definition to What Green Means in the Bluegrass State
 
 
Prospective homebuyers in Kentucky now have the option of buying a house that has been certified as an official “green home.” Green Build Kentucky is the new statewide green building initiative officially announced Monday, April 21 in Lexington. In conjunction with the announcement of Green Build Kentucky, HBAL is bringing an increased awareness of energy efficient home building to Greater Louisville.
This year’s Trend Appliances Home, Garden and Remodeling Show brought green up front and center of the color palette with Dogwood Homes’ Energy Star home. In addition, the Energy Pros Sustainable City offered consumers an opportunity to learn more about energy efficiency and the products, services and people who can help them achieve that. Local builders and remodelers report that more and more of their clients are asking about green products and want to know how they can save money on energy costs. The new voluntary residential green building program provides a baseline for practical green building methods and training resources for builders. Efforts put forth by local builders will help Louisville become a part of a national movement toward energy efficient and sustainable construction.
Green Build Kentucky is based on the NAHB Green Building Guidelines and the federal Energy Star Program. Not all state programs are alike. Like other states, the Kentucky standards have been customized to fit climate-specific needs. Homes built according to these standards will be certified by a third party certifier as an official Green Home. “Many of our builders have taken the initiative to build Energy Star homes already, and they tell us there’s a growing demand for their products,” HBAL Executive Vice President Chuck Kavanaugh explained. “By following a consistent set of voluntary guidelines, everyone is on the same page. Our members can market the homes they build as green homes as long as the individual homes have been certified as meeting or exceeding the guidelines,” he added.
 
What Makes a House a Certified Green Home in Kentucky?
Green homes incorporate environmental considerations and resource efficiency into every step of the building and development process. The voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines are designed to help systematize the green design and construction process. Green Build Kentucky is comprised of six energy-saving guiding principles outlined in the National Green Building Guidelines, which include:  
 
#1 Principle: Lot Preparation and Design
What Makes it Green:
Careful planning of lot preparation and design can reduce the home’s impact on natural features (such as vegetation and soil) and enhance the home’s long-term performance. Simply placing the home on the lot to take advantage of natural daylight reduces lighting needs and strategically orienting the home can reduce heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter.
 
#2 Principle: Resource Efficiency
What Makes it Green:  
Optimizing the use of building materials is also an important component in green building. Advanced framing techniques such as panelized walls, floor and roof trusses and home designs can be used to accomplish this.
 
#3 Principle: Energy Efficiency through the Energy Star Program  
What Makes it Green:       
Energy efficiency is the most quantifiable aspect of green building. By using efficient mechanical systems, appliances and lighting, homeowners can anticipate long-term utility bill savings and increased comfort in their new home. The Energy Star program will be used as a guideline for meeting this green building component in Kentucky, with the end result being the creation of a better
building “envelope,” and the use of more energy-efficient systems.
#4 Principle: Water Efficiency and Conservation
What Makes it Green:       
Water conservation is an extremely important component of green building. Using fixtures and appliances such as low-flow showerheads, faucets and toilets, as well as Energy Star dishwashers and washing machines will conserve water. In addition, programmed, low-volume irrigation systems, rainwater collection systems, wastewater treatment systems and hot water re-circulation systems also conserve water.
 
#5 Principle: Occupancy, Comfort and Indoor Air Quality
What Makes it Green:       
Effective management of moisture with a humidifier on your furnace, ventilation, and other issues can create a more comfortable and healthy indoor living environment for the homeowners in addition to saving energy.
 
#6 Principle: Operation, Maintenance and Education
What Makes it Green:       
Under Green Build Kentucky, homebuyers are supplied a home product book that explains what products have made the home “green,” and how to maintain them to further save on utility bills. Education is a key component in the statewide program. Buyers in search of sustainable homes that are built to use less energy and resources will have a better understanding of what makes a house green and how they can benefit from their decision to build green.
 
The investment in a green home offers many benefits for consumers, including lower operating costs, reduced maintenance needs, a healthy and comfortable living space and the satisfaction of knowing the home is reducing the impact on natural resources. While the concept of “going green” isn’t new, the processes for how to get there are being defined on local levels. According to experts in the field, today’s green homes incorporate not only climatic considerations, but are resource and energy efficient, safer for occupants, and are less expensive to maintain. Building green means incorporating environmental considerations and resource efficiency into every step of the home building and land development process in an effort to minimize environmental impact.
According to Kavanaugh, HBAL is committed to educating its members on how to achieve building a home that qualifies as a “green home” in Kentucky. In addition, the association is positioning itself as a resource for the media and homeowners who want to learn more about green building. HBAL’s partners in this new statewide program include HBAK, the Home Builders Associations in Lexington and Northern Kentucky and the Green Building Initiative™ (GBI), a not-for-profit education and marketing initiative dedicated to accelerating the adoption of green building practices. For more information on Green Build Kentucky, visit www.hbal.com or www.hbak.com.
 
Want to Learn More About Green Building Techniques?
According to NAHB, a recent McGraw-Hill study predicts that the green building marketplace is expected to be worth nearly $60 billion by 2010. The national association offers a wealth of information on green building for both builders and remodelers. You can visit www.nahbgreen.org/ to see what products and trends are popular nationally, and how builders across the country are marketing their green products. Upcoming educational opportunities on green building will be available at HBAL in the near future.