2009 Media Releases & Alerts
New Jewel in the National Green Building Certification Crown: First
Emerald-level Green Certified Single-Family New Home
PA Home Built by RGB Custom Homes Captures First Top-Level Certification for
NAHBGreen Program
April 22, 2009, Upper Marlboro, Md. - Coinciding with the 39th annual
celebration of Earth Day, the NAHB Research Center today issued the first
Emerald-level green home certificate under its
National Green Building Certification. Emerald is the highest and most
stringent level of certification a home can achieve when scored to the
National Green Building Standard™ rating system.
Builder Robert G. Brown of RGB Custom Homes says he's a very competitive person
and knew from the onset that he wanted to shoot for the highest level of
certification available. He achieved that by building a very green,
1,900-square foot home in East Stroudsburg, Pa., that scored 724 points based
on the Standard. This "Davidson" model home will allow RGB Custom Homes to
showcase for its customers the full range of green options they provide.
As a member of one of NAHB's Builder 20 Clubs, Brown said he kept hearing from
his peers how he had to start building green because that's where everything in
residential construction was heading. While known for building larger custom
homes, Brown says his company had seen the growing demand for smaller, more
efficient homes in their market as well. "We had never tagged our company as
being a 'green builder' before," says Brown, "but we found out through this
process how much of what we were already doing put us in a great position to
take this home to the highest level of green."
Beyond the builder's typical building techniques and products, there were
certainly a few new selections he incorporated into this home to reach Emerald
certification. Most notable were the ultra-low-flow 1.28 gpf toilets (required
for Emerald-level certification), geothermal heating system, and energy
recovery ventilation system. Brown also notes that he never paid much attention
to landscaping on the homes he built previously, but with this home he paid a
lot of attention to all aspects of the home siting and landscaping to minimize
slope disturbance, protect natural resources, and preserve wildlife habitats in
the area. Ultimately, it was the combination of a number of green practices and
products that helped capture the top certification level.
Brown said while there was a decent learning curve for both his company and his
trades, he thinks they could now easily replicate the process for future green
homes thanks in part to the available resources such as the
Green Scoring Tool. He also said the stringent third-party verification
process they went through with
accredited verifier Frank Malpere really helped everyone on the jobsite
understand the reasons behind the green practices. Having Malpere visually
inspect and/or test every point claimed by the builder was a real eye-opener
and an education for the construction team.
Malpere advises other builders seeking certification for their homes to create a
partnership with an accredited verifier right from the start. "There's a lot of
misinformation out there among builders and consumers that you have to spend a
lot of extra money to create a green home," he says. "But by working with an
accredited professional throughout the construction process, you can understand
where you can make the most practical and effective choices for your project
without breaking the bank."
"We are thrilled to have a home certified Emerald so soon after that option
became available," said Michael Luzier, president of the NAHB Research Center.
"It's a testament to the flexibility of this national certification program
that allows builders to select the right level of green for their markets and
their customers."
Since the ANSI approval of the National Green Building Standard in January,
close to 1,000 homes have been scored to the Standard using the online scoring
tool. For more information on National Green Building Certification and the
National Green Building Standard, visit the
NAHBGreen website.
04/09
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