Green Building

New Homes in Louisville Expected to be Built "Greener"

By Stacy Smith Rogers

The Bluegrass just got a little greener. With the recent announcement of Green Build Kentucky, prospective buyers have the option of building a house that has been certified as an official "green home." 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 your home is reducing the impact on natural resources.

Green Build Kentucky is a new voluntary residential green building program that provides a baseline for practical green building methods and training resources for builders. While many builders have already been offering clients energy efficient products and practices in homebuilding, the new program helps better define what makes a home "green" in Kentucky. Local builder members of the Home Builders Association of Louisville (HBAL) are preparing to satisfy the growing demand for environmentally friendly and energy-efficient homes in Greater Louisville.

Homes built according to set 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," commented HBAL Executive Vice President Chuck Kavanaugh. "By following a consistent set of voluntary guidelines, everyone is on the same page. Our builders can market the homes they build as green homes as long as the individual houses have been certified as meeting or exceeding the guidelines," Kavanaugh 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 an also important component in green building. Advanced framing techniques 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

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, ventilation, and other issues can create a more comfortable and healthy indoor living environment for homeowners. #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.

HBAL's Green Building Committee Chairperson Cecily Adwell, Olympia Homes, LLC, commented on the need to educate consumers on the options available regarding green building. "Basically, it opens up a dialogue between builders and potential homeowners that is easy to understand," she said. "There's a lot in the media about building green, but that's such a vague term. People may be familiar with the Energy Star logo, but they don't fully understand what that constitutes. It's more than just putting energy efficient appliances in your house. Building an energy-efficient home starts before the ground is even turned," she explained.

During the recent announcement of the Green Build Kentucky initiative, Governor Steve Beshear acknowledged the importance of building energy efficient homes in Kentucky. "One area that can lessen the impact we have on our environment is in the residential construction industry," said Gov. Beshear. "Building more energy-efficient homes can save the homeowner about 30 percent on utility bills and lessen the amount of pollution. In fact, these homes address other environmental issues. Construction methods reduce the waste generated and sent to landfills, lowering costs for local governments. Using low-water use fixtures reduces demand on water supplies. Ten homes built to these standards eliminates greenhouse gases equivalent to emissions from seven vehicles," the governor added.

Efforts put forth by local builders will help Louisville become a part of a national movement toward energy-efficient and sustainable construction. Through the new program, builders are becoming more aware of how they can better educate buyers on green building.