Green Built Blog » Green Building Legislation

Energy Efficient Upgrades Free for Limited Time with Gerstad Builders

Ginny Greene — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:39:25 +0000

January 29, 2010 a new code was passed in the beautiful state of Illinois. The code requires contractors to meet or exceed the energy standards established in the 2009 International Energy Convservation Code when building a new home. Quite a few contractors are unaware of this new code, but Gerstad Builders is in compliance.

Many are reporting that the new code in Illinois is one of the most restrictive when it comes to conserving energy in new homes. It’s good for the environment, but can translate into higher costs for homebuyers.

Code enforcers had to learn the new standards and are now cracking down in full force. Now is a great time to buy a Gerstad Builders home, since for the next few months they will absorb the additional costs of energy efficient upgrades, since shortly they will raise prices $5,000 on each home to cope with the costs. That makes now the perfect time to receive all of the new energy upgrades for free in the following Illinois communities: Liberty Trails in McHenry, Dawson Creek in Poplar Grove, and Pheasant Ridge in Richmond.

For more information on Gerstad Builders, visit the builder’s website.

First Green Resource Center to Come to West Palm Beach

Staff — Sun, 16 May 2010 15:34:45 +0000

There is just one more reason to add to the long list of reasons why we love the city of West Palm Beach, Fla. Mayor Frankel recently announced that the city will be the first in the United States to partner with the National Green Energy Council on a Green Resource Center.

The resource center will become a place for the community to consider its energy efficiency and renewable energyas well as a place to create sustainable jobs. The GEC will create educational seminars, classes and educational forums for local government officials, corporations, small business owners and local residence. The Green Resource Center has been a focus of the GEC for over a year and no other cities wanted to take the first step. Some believe that the program is going to bring jobs with the city to the unemployed. The center will remake products that will be potentially shipped all over the world.

Essentially, the center will perform an analysis for clients in regards to their current energy usage. The GEC’s Green Resouce Center Plan includes:

1. Create a facility with educational classroom areas.

2. Create a location within the city that consults local residents and businesses on how to reduce their energy usage through energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

3. Perform business community outreach in order to educate existing employees about energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

4. Entertain monthly discussions amongst community leaders about opportunities to alternative energy applications and green job training.

5. Create an educational environment for the newly unemployed that will assist them in changing their career paths in order to take advantage of the new 21st century green tech jobs.

The Green Resource Center opened at the West Palm Beaches E4 Summit.

Take Advantage of the Green Built Tax Credits

Ginny Greene — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:31:39 +0000

Did you know that you can get a tax credit for all of the energy-efficient, water conserving and green products in your home? The government is doing what they can to encourage more builders to construct green homes and homeowners to renovate their homes with green features. It’s pretty obvious why you get so many breaks for your eco-friendly features – we absolutely need to decrease our carbon footprint and preserve our natural resources for future generations.

In addition to the tax benefits, energy-efficient and water-conserving features will reduce the amount of money you spend every month on your utility bills. Choosing a green built home and green renovations is definitely an investment in which you will receive the pay-off in the long run. Don’t let the higher up front prices deter you from making the switch because they will more than pay for themselves over the years.

For anyone living in metro Austin that is looking for a green home builder or a green remodeler, look no further than Sterling Custom Homes. The company is comprised of many green building experts who have earned their Certified Green Professional designation from the NAHB. Whatever questions you may have about environment-friendly technologies, they will be able to answer them. So, for your next home or home renovation, seek out Sterling Custom Homes and go green!

FREE Eco-friendly Home Tours of Greenhaven

Ginny Greene — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:19:39 +0000

Atlanta’s first Eco-Decorators’ Show House, Greenhaven is now open for FREE tours through August 9th. Located in Chelsea Landing – the first eco-friendly neighborhood community in East Cobb – the home was built by Pace Homebuilders.

Greenhaven will carry the US Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Earthcraft House, Energy Star, Health House, and NAHB green building certifications and showcase the latest in green building techniques, sustainable design, state-of-art technology and energy efficiency.

Twenty of Atlanta’s top decorators, each with a fresh and unique perspective on eco-friendly design, has worked with the LEED program guidelines to transform the 7,000 square foot house into a green show home to be toured by all.

To complement the inspiring design, Pace Homebuilders’ Richard Feis will unveil Greenhaven to be an archetype for maximum sustainability and energy-efficiency. The implementation of state-of-the-art technologies in the design of Greenhaven will create a smart and functional home to evolve with the needs of today’s family.

For more information about Greenhaven, visit www.greenhavenhome.com.

You can become a Fan of Greenhaven on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/GreenhavenShowHome

New National Standard for Green Building Sent For Approval

Staff — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:13:04 +0000

The National Green Building Standard for residential buildings has finally been submitted to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for approval. If approved, it will establish a uniformity in building materials and practices and will be the first green building rating system. This will obviously be a great step forward in the business of building of green homes because the new standard would define what green practices could be incorporated into residential development and construction, and would also educate homeowners on how to operate their green homes. With a new national standard, green home building will have more accreditation and hopefully become a more popular option with homebuilders and buyers!

The process required by ANSI is very in depth and required that the National Association of Home Builders and the International Code council to read over 3,000 public comments and talk about the specifics of the standard for more than a year. Many builders, architects, environmental experts, and product manufacturers were consulted to make sure that the new standard will be feasible for everyone. With more and more progressive steps towards green home building, we are finally taking the steps towards a better environment!

Los Angeles Goes Green

Staff — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:29:30 +0000

The city of Los Angeles has just broken records by becoming the largest city in the United State to adopt a mandatory sustainability program. An article on Multi-Housing news reports that the legislatures of Los Angeles’ City Council voted to require new developments over 50,000 square feet to be 15% more energy efficient over current California code standards. Apparently they were feeling especially pro-environment this year on Earth Day was the day that they unanimously voted in favor of the sustainable initiative. This is a huge step in the right direction in the city’s Green Building Program, and hopefully they will set the example for the other big cities in the nation. Once the new ordinance takes effect, which is sometime in November, the city’s carbon emissions will be reduced by more than 80,000 metric tons annually – to give you a better picture, this is the equivalent of removing 15,000 cars off of the road every year! Way to go L.A.!

NAHB Encourages Congress to Promote Energy Efficient Building

Staff — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:25:30 +0000

The National Association of Home Builders is trying to help increase the amount of green building in the nation by taking it to our lawmakers. They recently approached Congress with an idea on how to promote residential energy efficiency and sustainability technology by extending tax incentives for new energy-efficient homes. Currently builders who construct a home certified to achieve a 50% reduction in energy use are eligible to receive a $2,000 tax credit, but this credit is set to expire at the end of the year. Real estate industry professionals have been trying to encourage Congress to extend it, and there is currently pending legislation in the House and Senate but no agreement between the two chambers. Without the tax incentive, many new builders may cease producing green new homes, which will be a tremendous set back in the strides we have taken in progressing with the green building industry. If the benefits of building green do not outweigh the costs, then builders and developers will stop doing it. Let’s hope that Congress extends the tax incentive so that we can continue to move forward with the green building initiative.