As some of you have probably read in my last article about the Texas Green Building Summit, Phil Crone, Director of Green Building Programs for the HBA of Dallas announced the ALL NEW GBT-EH certification program at the show. This is exiting news for homeowners and remodelers alike, since it is one of the first green building certification programs for existing homes in the nation. Since I'm a member of the board of Green Built Texas, I can share some insights into the details of the program – please note that the certification components are not finalized yet, so this is just a simple overview of the program.

The new program will be referred to as Green Built Texas for Existing Homes (GBT-EH), and will combine the construction knowledge of remodeler members of the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) with industry professionals, such as home energy raters, who can provide quality control and third party verification. A Stringent third-party verification will ensure that consumers' homes have achieved the requirements of the GBT-EH protocol. Here's how it works: A third party Texas HERO certified energy rater will perform an "In-Test", establishing the baseline for the rating – which means energy efficiency is "measured" in the existing structure before any work is performed.

Based on this intial "audit" the energy rater or your trusted and certified green building contractor  will make recommendations on how to improve the energy efficiency, water efficiency and indoor air quality of your home. After the work is performed, an "Out-Test" is performed by the energy rater. The results of these tests are measured and scored as a HERS Index. The GBT-EH certifications will be awarded based on the improvement of the initial HERS index – and will most likely be scored as follows:

• BRONZE Rating: 20% improvement in HERS Index
• SILVER Rating: 30% improvement in HERS Index
• GOLD Rating: 40% improvement in HERS Index

In addition to that, a home can receive "Merit Badges" based on Indoor Air quality and Water Efficiency improvements.

As I said before, I'm super excited about this program as this gives us another tool in verifying good green building practices and the resulting better energy efficiency of our existing homes stock in this country. Remember…. Anybody can say they can do it…. But can they back up their work with numbers and a certification?

BTW – you can also find this article on the website of EGC Custom Homes.

Written by:

Marc Kleinmann

EGC Custom Homes

http://DallasGreenBuilding.com

m.kleinmann@EGCDallas.com

As a member of the Dallas Green Building Alliance I feel it is necessary to let consumers know what green building programs are in our area.  Green Built Texas has been a valuable resource to the green community for some time now.  All members of the Dallas Green Building Alliance are members of Green Built Texas.

What is Green Built Texas?

Green Built Texas is a voluntary partnership of local home builders, industry supporters, and sponsors committed to creating awareness and interest in the construction of higher-performance, lower-impact residential homes in Texas. The program has a construction protocol that Home Builder Association (HBA) members have deemed essential in order for a home to be recognized by the program. Homes built to this protocol conform to higher standards of site management and waste recycling, water efficiency, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, materials, and homeowner education.

Membership in Green Built Texas is open to both Builder and Associate members of the Home Builders Associations in the State of Texas. Through special events and media outreach, the HBA endeavors to make homebuyers more aware of its green building program and its participants. Green Built Texas also provides educational seminars and is affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Green Building Program as its certification processes offer an alternative method to Green Built Texas recognition. A similar agreement with the U.S. Green Building Council enables homes built to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes (LEED-H) protocol to enjoy the same benefit.

GBT is better able to serve its members thanks to the resources offered by these national programs. Meanwhile, the national programs benefit from a vibrant state and local initiative serving as a conduit for certification.

The HBA’s goal is to establish a green building program that is recognized by municipalities and consumers throughout the state. Green Built Texas has also established a program for low and mid-rise multifamily construction and will soon create higher levels of green building achievement that will allow builders to advance their building product to meet both consumer desires and their own business plans.

www.greenbuilttexas.com

Benefits of a Green Built Texas Home-click on this link to view benefits

http://www.greenbuiltnorthtexas.com/benhome.htm

Construction Protocol- Click on this link to view protocol:

http://www.greenbuiltnorthtexas.com/documents/GBNT_ProtocolVersion2_official.pdf

Or is it? There is a lot in the news lately about whether this whole Green Movement is based on a hoax or not.  My take on that as far as Green Building goes is, “What does it matter?”  Sustainable development makes sense all the time, not just because it’s a fad or that its popularity has resulted from government policies and concern about Climate Change.

Building more energy efficient housing saves consumers money through lower utility bills and extends existing energy supplies.  Using re-manufactured products or products from forests with sustainable replenishment policies also extends the life of valuable resources.

Reducing product waste helps extend the life of existing landfills in population centers with growing communities.

So building Green saves money, is smart and contrary to what Kermit says, “It is easy being Green”

Blog Written by:Wesley Scott
wes@archwaysandceilings.com
www.archwaysandceilings.com

By Mike Tonsbeek

There basically two types of roof tiles, clay and concrete.  The oldest types of roof tiles are made of clay.  Clay tiles have been around for many centuries dating back to the Neolithic period in China and later made popular by the Romans.  Concrete tiles were first created in the middle of the 19^th century in Germany and gained popularity in the middle of the 20^th century.

Clay tiles have basically remained the same over the centuries when they were individually handmade.  Today’s clay tiles are machine made, achieving more uniformity in both shape and color consistency.  They are available in a variety of shapes and styles and finishes.

Concrete tiles are also machine made for the same reasons as today’s clay tiles.  They have gained more popularity than clay in the current construction industry primarily due to cost but also due to a larger selection styles and colors compared to clay tile.

One of the biggest misconception of tile roofs, either clay or concrete, is that they virtually last forever.  It is true that the tile will last for many, many years; however, tiles are only one component of a tile roof system. One of the more important components of the tile roof system nowadays is the underlayment that the tiles are installed over.  Roof tile primary functions is to serve as a water shedding component, protect the underlayment from damaging elements and provide the desired aesthetics intended by the building’s architects.  

Roof tiles will continue to maintain their popularity for many years to come due to their proven durability and aesthetic values they provide.

So there we were last week…cold, snow, wind and then darkness! There were 1000’s of us that lost power last week and let’s face it there is NOTHING enjoyable about being without power!   We were all out looking for a near by hotel where we could keep warm for the night or bunking up with parents, family and friends.  I mean I like my friends and family as much as the next person but there comes a time when you really just want to be in your OWN HOME! People…there is such a simple solution to this problem!

Install A Residential Generator!

A residential generator is installed permanently outside your home and is available in different sizes. After a power outage occurs the generator starts up automatically, usually within 10 seconds, and will continue to provide power to your preselected circuits.  A smaller generator will supply plenty of power to your refrigerator, lighting, television, computer and furnace or air conditioner. A larger residential generator can handle pretty much everything in the home including large wine cellars, security system and multiple air conditioners or heaters. You will have to talk to your H.V.A.C. provider about the size that best fits your home.

At the office we use and recommend the Lennox Home Generator. The Lennox Home generator performs a 20-minute full speed, self diagnostic test each week to ensure it is performing correctly. Please be aware when shopping for and installing a generator that you have something that is safe and reliable. We always recommend consulting with an electrician or your H.V.A.C. company for advice on what is best for your home as well as having one of them install the equipment correctly!

Summer is around the corner and if another power outage does occur instead of no heat it will be… NO AIR CONDITIONING… and I don’t know one person in Dallas that is ever comfortable with those three words!

This last Tuesday, I was attending the  Texas Green Building Summit at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Dallas. Last years’ event was host to about 700 attendees from all over the DFW Metroplex – Architects, Engineers, Building Officials and people otherwise connected to the green building industry. According to officials, this years’ event had over 1,200 people in attendance. An awesome turnout and a great statement for Dallas. The day started out with a great opening session – speakers were Liz Newman, President of the HBA of greater Dallas, Mayor Tom Leppert, Ralph Hawkins with HKS and my favorite speaker of the day, Steve Mouzon. If you haven’t heard of Steve – check out his website at http://www.originalgreen.org – very inspiring! The following keynote presentations were spread out over several conference rooms, I attended “Energy Improvement for Existing Homes”, which was a full house and later on the “Introduction of the Green Built Texas Existing Homes” program.

This is a great development for Texas – builders and remodelers are now able to get their remodeling projects and energy retrofits certified through the Green Built Texas program. Phil Crone, Director of Green Building Programs for the HBA of Dallas was presenting. I will write a more detailed article on the certification at a later date. The day ended with a closing session by Henning Bloech with Green Guard – also a very inspiring speaker. Btw – you can watch videos of the event on the TexasGreenBuilt YouTube channel. For more information see links below.

http://GreenBuiltTexas.com
http://TexasGreenBuilt.com
http://originalgreen.org

Btw – below is my favorite slide of the day….. The turbo-charged hot water heater

Green building is booming. Energy Star homes and LEED-certified building projects are gaining a greater foothold in communities across the country.

But the movement might stall before it truly gets off the ground unless developers, elected officials and the surety industry can find some common ground.

The problem lies with performance bonds. These are essential risk-mitigation tools that are a part of most building projects nationwide. In short, these bonds guarantee that a contractor completes the job as specified by the contract and all applicable code.

Surety bonds protect project owners and taxpayer dollars in the unlikely event that a contractor defaults, does shoddy work or somehow fails to live up to its duties. Before they issue a performance bond, surety underwriters scour a contractor’s financial standing, background and their likelihood of success. They also closely examine the prospective contract, looking for specific, tangible goals the contractor is obliged to meet. And that’s where the green building issue is becoming a major sticking point. Hitting green building requirements isn’t an easy task. National certifying organizations like the U.S. Green Building Council have to verify that a building has achieved documented levels of efficiency and other green building milestones.

But that puts surety companies in an untenable position. What happens, for example, if the contractor reduces the building’s carbon dioxide emissions by 24 percent but the contract mandates 25 percent? Surety companies have no interest in being on the hook financially in a case like that. Instead, most sureties refuse to bond a contractor when a contract demands specific energy efficiencies or requires an outside party to certify progress.

“It’s not always the party that has to post the bond that’s responsible for that element of LEED certification,” Bob Duke, director of underwriting and assistant counsel for the District-based Surety and Fidelity Association, told the Washington Business Journal. “Maybe the party posting the bond doesn’t have control of the total obligation.” Clarity may be coming in the next few months. Officials in Washington, D.C., are working toward a solution to the issue. The District of Columbia enacted a strict Green Building regulation in 2006 for some private and public building projects. Unsurprisingly, the new regulations call for a performance bond that provides guarantees for green efficiencies and standards. Surety officials are less than pleased with the legislation, which takes effect in 2012. A group of stakeholders from the surety and building industries and the D.C. political scene are currently working on an updated interpretation that provides greater protection for those all parties.

The rest of the country is watching, and waiting, to see how the issue gets resolved. The future of green building could hinge on the developments.

This article was written as a guest post by Chris Birk with SuretyBonds.com

VIDEO: Practical Affordable Green Building & Renovation

Check out this video of a Brooklyn, NY based green contractor (ECO-BROOKLYN). They have a very practical approach to renovating brownstones in the Brooklyn area.

Their goal is to provide inexpensive practical green solutions to the middle class, which obviously would have the biggest footprint of usage throughout our country. ECO-BROOKLYN’S mantra is that “the city will provide”. They salvage many of their materials out of dumpsters and dumps and in their words they are “reversing the tide to the dump”. They typically try to use reclaimed material on everything except HVAC, cabinets and appliances. For the appliances and HVAC the trade off is too great not to take advantage of the energy savings of new equipment.

These guys demonstrate  how you can creatively renovate with green technologies and not break the bank. it is vitally important that with projects like this you have a plan way in advance, because due to the nature of this kind of building, it will take longer anyways and you do not want to slow down even more due to poor planning, or something that could of been avoided. So, enjoy the video. CL

As a new member of the Dallas Green Building Alliance, I was picked to start off our weekly blogs for the month of February. Sunday morning rolled around and my blog was due Tuesday, so I was starting to sweat it! Well as I was sitting at my breakfast table, drinking a cup of coffee sifting my way through the World Wide Web, an idea dawned on me. “That’s it!” I said to myself. My first blog has to be about a green system that will put some cash back into the consumer’s wallet. Instantly, net metering came to mind.

What is Net Metering? It is a provision that allows consumers to connect their alternative energy source (like wind or solar power) to the electrical grid. The consumer will first use the energy they have created before consuming energy from the electrical grid. This will ultimately reduce your energy bills dramatically and relieve some of the stress on the electrical grid, especially in peak hours. The Ultimate goal with net metering is to generate enough renewable energy to self-sustain your own energy consumption. If you are supplying more than is needed, than the excess energy is fed back through your meter to the electrical grid, and you are given credit. Not to mention, to help get your started, Uncle Sam issues a tax credit of up to 30% of the total cost of the system, so you will be receiving a savings instantly!

Check out this Video on Net Metering!

Written By:

Wesley Scott

Archways & Ceilings Made Easy

www.archwaysandceilings.com

(Resources: Photos from isolarpowerforhomes.com & solar-panel-homes.net)