Builder- March 2009 - (Page 39) GREEN HOUSE SUSTAINABLE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, PRODUCTS & SALES ■ Inside: 40 42 City Living AIA trends survey finds downtown is in demand Perfect Plan Business tips for the green builder PLUS MORE > > EDITED BY RICH BINSACCA CURB APPEAL: Builder Andy Toms simply adapted and upgraded the specs on an existing plan to achieve a gold rating without having to alter the home’s aesthetic appeal. Green Touch W GREEN CERTIFICATION Learning Experience A model home built to the highest standard of the NAHB’s green building program offers lessons about the certification process. hirlpool Corp.’s new Green Touch Program combines a wealth of products, design tools, and marketing assistance to help builders achieve higher levels of sustainability. The appliance giant boasts more than 600 Energy Star– qualified and other appliances (including HVAC equipment) that save water, energy, or both while promoting healthy indoor air. The new program also offers several Internet-based tools that streamline the design, project visualization, and product selection processes, including a digital gallery of homes and 3-D virtual tours of exemplary W hen the NAHB released its green building program in early 2007, Andy Toms was curious. Like many builders, he wanted to know how his homes, unchanged, measured up to the program’s standards and rating system. “We found we were building to a bronze level, almost a silver, without making any adjustments,” he says. Toms, the director of production for EGStoltzfus Homes in Lancaster, Pa., a diversified firm with about 169 starts a year, says he compared specifications and used the program’s online scoring tool. “We knew we had a good product, but we’d never pushed the energy or green angle [in our marketing efforts].” Given his fi ndings, Toms became interested in the process to get his company’s homes certified and what marketing benefits might result—especially in a slumping housing climate and an area with little experience in green building practices. “Nobody here, including subs and suppliers, had any working knowledge of green building,” he says. “We were (see page 40) blazing the trail.” homes. Builders also can use a trio of awards programs sponsored by Whirlpool that recognize green building efforts and assist in the promotion of green-built homes. Visit insideadvantage.com /sustainable or call 800-253-3977 for more ▶ information. W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM m a rc h 2 0 0 9 BUILDER ■ 39 http://www.insideadvantage.com/sustainable http://www.insideadvantage.com/sustainable http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM
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