KSMU (91.1 FM) Reports on Local Green Building Efforts

KSMU's Missy Shelton reported July 1 on Green Building efforts in the Greater Springfield area. She intereviewed HBA Builders Brett Godfrey and Scott Kisling, as well as HBA Executive Officer Matt Morrow on the subject. To listen to the radio news story, click here. Following is a partial transcript:

July 1st, 2008

Going Green Series: Green Building: This month, we continue our look at what it means to “go green” and protect the environment. In this report, KSMU’s Missy Shelton talks with local builders about green homes and the demand from buyers for green homes.

Meet Scott Kisling, president and owner of Uptight Construction, Incorporated. He’s a certified green builder.

Kisling also looks at ways to get some life out of used materials.

There’s often a cost to going green. Kisling says using insulated concrete forms to make homes more energy efficient comes with a cost.

Kisling’s own home is made with insulated concrete forms, something you’d never suspect just by looking at it. And he says he’s seen tremendous savings on his energy bill.

As good as that might sound to homeowners looking to cut back on their energy costs, energy efficient features and other green building features are just starting to catch on in the Ozarks.

Matt Morrow is Executive Director of the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield.

People have heard of going green but may not know exactly what that means, especially as it relates to homebuilding.

Morrow refers to recent research done for the HBA.

Since there is some confusion about what green building is all about, Morrow offers a definition.

And in a tight housing market, those can be important selling points.

Brett Godfrey is president of Built by Brett, Incorporated and is building green homes like this one in south Springfield.

For homes that are going on the market (in other words, they’re not custom homes), builders have to make some tough choices: how many energy efficient and green features to include in the home. Godfrey says it’s a question he has to tackle.

Godfrey and other home builders in the area are banking on homebuyers being enticed to hand over more green for features that are green.

Builders Tell Congress Ways to Make Housing Green

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) on June 11 testified before Congress on ways to improve sustainability and energy efficiency in housing while simultaneously supporting housing affordability.

Jerry Howard, NAHB executive vice president and chief executive officer, spoke at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on H.R. 6078, the Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhood Act of 2008, also known as the GREEN Act.

"Because federal housing programs are such a critical component of the nation's housing system, NAHB believes that it is important to ensure that the incorporation of sustainable building practices for these programs is accomplished in a thoughtful and practical manner," Howard said. "Also, it is important to maintain a balance between the goals of affordable housing development and maximizing energy efficiency."

Overly stringent or unrealistic goals for energy efficiency compliance could boost the cost of building affordable housing to a level that is not sustainable over the long term, he added.

As the committee moves to adopt green criteria that would apply to federally assisted housing programs, Howard urged lawmakers to consider the following principles:

• Recognize and plan for a variety of green building rating systems to help increase the sustainability of federally assisted housing and allow for regular review and updating of these standards and criteria. Congress should avoid naming specific green criteria in federal legislation that may seem sufficient today, but that could become quickly outdated or unworkable in the very near term, Howard said.

• Provide necessary resources, including the additional staff and technology needed to implement the programs, as well as appropriations to help support the additional costs of building green.

• Structure new programs in a manner that allows them to be used easily with other housing programs, avoids duplicative rules and regulations, and supports funding timelines in concert with other program rules.

• Provide financial and other incentives to developers and builders of affordable housing to help them meet and even exceed green building goals.

• Work with builders, lenders, government-sponsored enterprises, nonprofits, community groups, appraisers, and others to develop attainable goals for the development of supportive financing mechanisms such as energy-efficient and location-efficient mortgages as well as appraisal standards that appropriately recognize the value of green building.

• Develop educational materials that can be used by the various stakeholders to learn and communicate best practices and promote sustainable federally assisted housing.

Currently, the association is working with the International Code Council to complete a rigorous standards-developing process that will produce the first standard approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for green residential construction and remodeling – the National Green Building Standard™.

"The development of the National Green Building Standard™ is the most recent and most robust effort undertaken by the industry to encourage green building in residential construction," said Howard. "When completed, it will be the only ANSI-approved standard for residential construction."

HOMEOWNERS CALL FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY UPGRADES

June 25, 2008 - As they grapple with skyrocketing energy costs, more homeowners are turning to remodelers for money-saving solutions. According to the results of the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) quarterly Remodeling Market Index (RMI), 33 percent of surveyed remodelers report that they are increasingly called on to improve the energy efficiency of their client’s homes.

 

The RMI measures remodeler perceptions of market demand for current and future residential remodeling projects.

 

“It’s no surprise with rising energy prices and other costs draining the piggy bank that homeowners want to maximize home performance with green remodeling options,” said NAHB Remodelers Chairman Lonny Rutherford, CGR, CAPS, CGP, a professional remodeler from Farmington, N. M. “Professional remodelers provide the solution for making the 125 million existing single-family homes in the United States more energy-efficient.”

 

The growing homeowner interest in green remodeling comes just as NAHB prepares for the upcoming National Green Building Standard,™ which includes the only consensus rating system for remodeling. This standard provides a roadmap for green remodeling and assures consumers that remodelers know how to plan and complete authentically green remodels.

 

According to the survey, remodelers have installed a number of efficiency-enhancing products in recent months, including:

 

- Windows—73 percent of surveyed remodelers installed more energy-efficient windows that are insulated to prevent outdoor heat exchange.

 

- Insulation—65 percent made upgrades such as insulation replacement and spraying foam or fiber insulation into enclosed walls and roof cavities, while 27 percent insulated foundations and 52 percent installed insulated exterior doors.

 

- High-efficiency HVAC systems (56 percent)

 

- High-efficiency kitchen appliances (47 percent)

 

- Water-saving faucets and fixtures (46 percent)

 

“Newer technologies are also quickly gaining in popularity,” says Rutherford. “Thirty-five percent of remodelers reported installing tankless water heaters, which save on energy costs by heating water on demand instead of continuously eating energy.”

 

For more information about remodeling, visit www.nahb.org/remodel.

 

ABOUT THE RMI: The RMI is based on a quarterly survey of professional remodelers, whose answers to a series of questions were assigned numerical values to calculate two separate indexes. The first index gauges current market conditions and is based on remodelers’ reports of major and minor additions and alterations, plus maintenance work and repairs, on both owner- and renter-occupied dwellings. The second index gauges expectations for the near future and is based on remodelers’ reports of their calls for bids, amount of work committed for the next three months, job backlogs and appointments for proposals. A variety of “special questions” are also asked at the end of the survey to help pinpoint market trends.

 

ABOUT NAHB REMODELERS: NAHB Remodelers is America’s home for professional remodelers, representing the 14,000 remodeling industry members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Founded in 1982, the organization provides information, education and designation programs to improve the business and construction expertise of its members and to enhance the professional image of the industry.  Its membership incorporates 150 local councils in 49 states. Learn more about remodeling at www.nahb.org/remodel.

Focus on Green TV Promo Released

KY3, the HBA of Greater Springfield, and City Utilities have partnered to launch "Focus on Green," a new public education campaign highlighting green building techniques and practices. Two new 30-second television ads were launched recently to kick off the new program (see them by clicking HERE). Now, KY3 has produced a new 30-second promo for the program that will run in rotation throughout the day to help build the program's brand. Watch the promo here:

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Rebates for New Construction

By Cara Shaefer

Director of Energy Management & Conservation 

City Utilities of Springfield

EnergyWise rebates for new home construction

Efficiency in the construction of new homes almost comes naturally with the advances in technology of appliances and building materials. For example, most all natural gas appliances today are built with an electronic ignition, eliminating the standing pilot light – and refrigerators are approximately twice as efficient as those made just over a decade ago.

Even with these advances there is still room to increase on that baseline. The decision to install the higher efficiency equipment and energy efficient building techniques can make a significant difference for the homeowner from that first day they move in, to years down the road – whether they are still living there or if a new family calls it home. I think we all know that they best time to address overall efficiency is when each home is built.

It is with that in mind that the rebates developed by City Utilities for new home construction are there to help you make that incremental increase in efficiency, with little impact on the bottom line. With the efficiency bar constantly raising, the requirements that are there for the new construction today may soon be the standard tomorrow – therefore we are encouraging builders take that next step.

Incentives specifically for new home construction

Programmable Thermostat Rebate

CU customers can receive $15 back on the purchase of ENERGY STAR® labeled programmable thermostats that automatically adjust temperature settings, allowing customers to save energy during periods it is not needed.

Efficient Toilet Rebate

CU water customers who purchase and install a High Efficiency Toilet – that uses 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf) or less – are eligible for a $75 rebate. That increase over the standard can mean real water savings for years to come.

ENERGY STAR® Heating & Cooling Rebates

Possibly the most significant addition to the efficiency portfolio is this program that encourages the installation of highly efficient heating and cooling systems – the largest energy users in a home.

Natural Gas Furnaces

CU natural gas residential new construction customers who purchase and install a 92% efficient or higher furnace may qualify for a rebate of up to $400 per unit . This means that furnace is at least 12% more efficient than the standard model that is rated at only 80%.

Central Air Conditioners

CU electric residential new construction customers who purchase and install a central air conditioning system with a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 15 or higher may qualify for a rebate of $100 per Ton and $25 for each additional SEER for each unit. The standard central air conditioner efficiency is now 13 SEER.

Air-Source Heat Pumps

CU electric residential new construction customers who purchase and install an air-source heat pump with a SEER of 15, 11.5 Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) and 8.2 Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) rating or higher may qualify for a rebate of $100 per Ton and $25 for each additional SEER for each unit. Electric air-source heat pumps use the difference between outdoor air temperatures and indoor air temperatures to cool and heat your home.

Geothermal Heat Pumps

CU electric residential new construction customers who purchase and install a geothermal heat pump system may qualify for a rebate of $200 per Ton and $25 for each additional EER over the ENERGY STAR minimum efficiency standard qualifications. Geothermal heat pumps are similar to ordinary heat pumps, but use the ground temperature instead of outside air to provide heating, air conditioning and, in many cases, hot water. Because they use the earth's natural heat, they are among the most efficient and comfortable heating and cooling technologies currently available.


ENERGY STAR Home Rating Service

To help measure the efficiency of your homes, CU offers an ENERGY STAR Home Rating Service so you can have an objective, standardized assessment of a home’s energy performance. This service is performed by a certified Home Energy Rating System (HERS) professional who will compare a home’s energy performance to a standard measurement of energy efficiency.

Homebuilders can use the rating to verify the increased energy performance of the home, homeowners may qualify for an energy-efficient mortgage, and the ENERGY STAR label brings added value to the home.

ENERGY STAR qualified homes must meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These homes are at least 15% more energy-efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20–30% more efficient than standard homes.

The ENERGY STAR Home Energy Rating Service is performed for a fee of $350 for any CU customer (normally over $500). This cost includes two thorough on-site inspections of a home by a certified HERS energy rater.

Green Building

Because "Green Building" incorporates so many different aspects, the HBA is a natural partner for CU to provide information and resources to assist local builders as they work to construct environmentally responsible, energy efficient and affordable homes in greater Springfield – and perhaps most importantly, educate potential homeowners. CU will be offering green building verification – a key component of the entire program.

CU, community derive benefits from wise use of resources

Sometimes we get asked what the utility gains by encouraging energy efficiency and water conservation with programs like these. Basically, encouraging wise use of resources helps to extend the utility’s assets and resources, both natural and man-made, further into the future than they would otherwise. When utility customers take action to use energy and water more efficiently, they not only impact their individual usage, but conserve the resources our entire community depends upon to sustain an excellent quality of life.

Learn more about EnergyWise

For more information about any of these programs, or any of our other resources and tools to help customers save energy and water, contact me at 874-8200. You can also find all program details at our website, www.cuenergywise.com.