It is my hope that you are starting to feel a little more knowledgeable about sustainable and green building products, practices, process and goals. Our aim is to break down barriers of confusion on the subject. Hopefully, you understand the components which include energy and water conservation, environmental protection, improved indoor air quality and health, enhanced comfort and durability. If you are overwhelmed by the concept and how to best achieve these goals, there are several programs available to assist you in the process and degree to which you become more sustainable with regards to your home. Programs are available to assist homeowners in the process, evaluation, and completion of your project. Each is independently certified, providing assurance verification of the strict guidelines set forth by each organization’s programs. Four programs available in our area are: Energy Star, EarthCraft, NHBA National Green Building Program and LEED.


Let’s break down the differences in these programs. Energy Star’s single focused on energy reduction and efficiency and is therefore the least complicated to achieve. Goals are determined by the US Environmental Protection Agency and are set to achieve 20-30% more energy efficiency than standard homes. Areas reviewed are the home’s building envelope, air ducts, equipment (heating, cooling and water heating), lighting and appliances. The cost for evaluation and certification is the least expensive or involved of the four discussed here.  Source: http://www.energystar.gov/


EarthCraft, created in 1999 by the Atlanta Home Builders’ Association and in partnership with Southface, measures energy and resource efficiency. EarthCraft certification allows for flexibility in the level of performance and can be achieved by any size and type of home, whether new or remodeled. EarthCraft homes start with Energy Star certification and must achieve diagnostic tests for air infiltration and duct leakage. EarthCraft guidelines include site planning, building and systems energy efficiency, resource design efficiency, resource efficient building materials, waste management, indoor air quality, indoor and outdoor water conservation, homeowner education and builder operation.


EarthCraft remodels start with an EarthCraft House inspector who inspects the home and writes an evaluation along with recommendations. Your level of participation in the recommendations determines whether the home is certified EarthCraft, and a scoring worksheet will determine the level of certification. Source: http://www.earthcrafthouse.com/

The National Association of Home Builders’ (NHBA) National Green Building Program, developed in 2005, sets standards on lot design, resource, energy and water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, homeowner education and global impact. You can achieve bronze (entry-level), silver, gold, and emerald certification depending on your level of participation. Certification can be achieved by single-family, multi-unit homes, commercial projects, residential remodeling and site development projects. As with each of these programs, certification comes from a certified third party.

The first, and probably the most comprehensive and well-known program, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System, was developed in 1998 by the US Green Building Council. LEED was created to: define “green building” by establishing common standards of measurement, promote integrated whole building design practices, recognize environmental leadership in the building industry, stimulate green competition, raise consumer awareness of green building benefits and transform the building market. The rating system covers sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design process. Achievement can be made at four levels: certified, silver, gold and platinum. Source: http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/

For each of these programs, written documentation and outside third-party certification is required to protect the program and consumers. With this certification, homeowners and the institutes who created these programs are able to test, monitor and improve the programs.

What does this means to you and me?  We are able to measure and benefit from the performance. And when selling our homes, we stand out among the rest, as certified, better performing, sustainable homes. Benefits from start to finish!