Builder - August 2008 - (Page 50)

GREEN HOUSE every unit with no guarantee that an optional system would be fully leveraged. “As a standard feature, we worked it into our production ﬂow and budget,” and thus amortized the costs across all unit sales. A $500,000 rebate from the city-owned electric utility helped ease the expense, but making PV standard also enabled Warmington to earn a faster return on its investment with a steady sales pace at Vantage. Opened in May 2007, with prices starting in the $800s, the project averaged ﬁve sales a week for a year, including a pair of price increases during that time, while other projects offered deep discounts and other incentives to spark sales in a declining market. Each unit at Vantage features a 2kW PV system that offsets 60 percent to 80 percent of the owner’s electric bill. The energy savings attributed to the PV system, though, is due in large part to the builder’s commitment to comprehensive green building practices. Warmington speciﬁed upgraded levels of insulation, building tightness, and high-performance windows to create efficient shells; the builder also added watersaving features to further reduce its eco-footprint and create a competitive edge. Because few other projects in Palo Alto incorporate such measures—much less PV—into their projects, the builder’s sales staff had to educate buyers about the nuances of living in a green-built house. That education process, says Debi Garlick, sales manager for Vantage, begins at the sales table and extends through occupancy. “Buyers need to have the proper expectations about what these features mean to their lifestyle,” she says. “Occasionally, they need to adjust to how things work and what high performance is once they move in.”—R.B. UPDATE as well as offering veriﬁer services, helping create a provider network, and working with the NAHB to build the standard into its National Green Building Program, will keep the Research Center staff busy. Meanwhile, the International Code Council (ICC), a coproducer of the NGBS, designated the new standard as ICC-700 and will incorporate it into its next code books. ICC will also offer training to familiarize building inspectors with the NGBS as state and local code authorities consider incorporating it into their existing residential, energy, and other appropriate building codes. For continually updated information about the NGBS and the NAHB’s other green building–related activities, go to www.nahbgreen.org. layered with a reﬂective coating that are commonly used in recessed and track light ﬁxtures. Starting June 16, manufacturers stopped making lamps that do not comply with the Act’s efficiency standards. For a free, downloadable white paper, go to www.homelighting control.org. OPTIMUM ORIENTATION: Racking systems allowed the PV panels to be placed in ideal orientation to the sun to soak up and convert as much solar energy as possible and offset the power grid. PROGRAM Engaging the Industry The National Green Building Standard is anticipating ANSI approval. Now what? T Cool Roof he new Energy Efficient Roof (EER) from MonierLifetile (www .monierlifetile.com) is a concrete system designed to keep roof (and attic) temperatures in check with cross-ventilation, while also creating a roof ﬁnish that stands up against the elements. Combining proprietary eave risers (allowing air to enter through the eaves; see photo above), elevated battens, and hip and ridge vents, the system reduces heat penetration into conditioned spaces by up to 50 percent and energy costs up to 22 percent compared to similar shingles. W ith the American National Standards Institute’s (ANSI) expected approval of the National Green Building Standard (NGBS), work is underway to integrate the new standard into local and national green building programs, municipal versions of the International Building Codes, and the memory banks of building inspectors nationwide. Local NAHB chapters are chomping at the bit. “There were a few HBAs waiting to incorporate the new standard into new [local] green building programs,” says Tom Kennedy, vice president of engineering and research for the NAHB Research Center in Upper Marlboro, Md., photos: left: courtesy warmington Homes; right: Courtesy MonierLifetile who oversaw the yearlong development of the standard for ANSI approval. “Others are considering whether to adopt or update their existing programs [with the NGBS].” Assisting in both scenarios, GOT GREEN PROJECTS, PRODUCTS, OR DESIGNS? E-MAIL DENISE DERSIN AT: ddersin@hanleywood.com TO READ MORE STORIES ON GREEN BUILDING, GO TO W W W.BUILDER ONLINE.COM/GREEN. 50 ■ B U I LD E R augus t 2 0 0 8 W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM http://www.homelightingcontrol.org http://www.homelightingcontrol.org http://www.monierlifetile.com http://www.monierlifetile.com http://www.nahbgreen.org http://www.nahbgreen.org http://www.builderonline.com/green http://www.builderonline.com/green http://www.builderonline.com

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Builder - August 2008

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