The builder rebates will continue.  We have heard mixed messages about whether the Federal tax credits will continue (we doubt it).  The smaller lighting rebate is set to continue but we are not sure for how long.

There are several key issues to be aware of.  We would be glad to meet with you prior to starting any of them, to make sure you hit the goals. 

 Some of the key factors to meet version 3:

• 6 sided enclosures at stairwells, knee walls, tubs & showers etc.
• Ensure equipment meets chosen pathway (HW & heating)
• Thermal enclosure checklist
• Water management checklist
• Advanced framing methods
• HVAC installer checklist
• HVAC installer credentialed for version 3

You are probably already doing most of this already. Regardless, it’ll be a good idea to run through the requirements prior to constructing any new homes.  Although some of this is new and will have a learning curve we assure you in most cases, it won’t take too much to qualify.  

If your HVAC Company isn’t credentialed yet – there is a short webinar to get minimally trained:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/987307656  This doesn’t cover anymore than just the basics and most (not all) installers will need to step up the quality of their installations.  They will also be required to fill out a form that gets submitted back to us. They will need to document proper sizing and accompanying house factors on the form.

Contact us at info@swiftsureenergy.com or 360-624-5523  www.swiftsureenergy.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/SwiftSure-Energy-Services/142364132443261

A couple of factors make solar a viable option here in the NW.

• Costs have dropped about 50% the last year
• Incentives for solar are still widely available

Done properly a system may be able to generate enough power to sell some back to the suppliers at a higher price than you would pay!  We are typically pay $0.08 per KwH but with the right system you could sell extra power back to the system for up to $0.54 per KwH!

For builders doing HERS ratings on their homes this will jump the rating by several points or more depending on the size system!  Alternative power sources are key to getting to a zero-energy or passive house level.  We’d be glad to work with any builders that would be interested in pursuing the zero-energy goals!

Solar thermal is another option.  Simply used for heating water or, it can be used for a radiant hydronic system, passive solar heat or better – as a hybrid of both of them!

For more details contact us or watch our future newsletters for more information.

Bottom line – when the smart grid is implemented it will loosely level out the costs.  Those paying low utility costs will surely see a spike in their bills.  Logically, those with high utilities would also see a drop in their bills?  Not likely… we rarely see a reduction in costs or taxes.  Besides, how do you think they will pay for the added costs of the smart grid system?   So, here in the NW we should be prepared to see a big jump in our utility costs over the next 5 to 10 years.  This information is all the more reason for us to implement better building practices and energy efficiency measures.

New Look Energy Rating

To help our builders and remodelers marketing efforts, the signage and marketing tool for ratings has been redesigned.  This version is much simpler to understand and should require less explanation.  A yard sign is provided for spec & model homes.  PDF or other versions will be available for print or web marketing efforts.  Feedback is welcome!

Sample EPG for Homes

What Builder wouldn’t like to distinguish themselves from the competition  including the fore closure home down the street?  We have an accepted method to put a rating on a home… similar to the MPG for cars, this is the EPG for homes or Energy Performance Guide.

How would your prospects respond to knowing that the house you built will save them $100 per month on utility expenses?  Is that a tool your sales people could use to their advantage?  Compare utility expenses of your well-built ENERGY STAR home to the typical 1995 built home – ENERGY STAR – $97 per month vs. 1995 home – $207 per month.  Or build to a better standard still and get a $2000 tax credit for you the builder plus save the customer $140 per month on utility bills!

Recent studies have found that consumers are willing to spend 2-4% more for a more efficient home.  Although worried about the economy, consumers are willing to buy energy-efficient products and services—if they see immediate savings, according to a recent national survey by The Shelton Group, one of four annual surveys that they conduct According to an NAHB survey, when asked what they would be willing to pay if their energy costs could be reduced roughly $1,000 a year, 51 percent checked $5,000 to $10,999. 

The EPG is calculated by a software program called REM Rate and is overseen by RESNET which is the Residential Energy Services Network.  It is one of two programs that have become widely accepted.  The actual program is the HERS or Home Energy Rating System. 

One very noteable factor:  Here in the Northwest we have some of the lowest energy prices in the country.  It would make sense to point this out to potential cutomers and let them know that we will soon be likely to see a dramatic increase in our utility rates!  The more the rates increase, the more sense it makes to purchase a highly efficient home.

Contact us at Kent@swiftsureenergy.com and get moving more homes.

Resource efficiency is also about reducing jobsite waste. Creating an effective construction waste management plan and taking advantage of available recycling facilities and markets for recyclable materials, waste can be reduced by at least two-thirds, creating potential cost savings for builders and reducing the burden on landfill space.

This section caused me to consider all the ways in which efficiency could be designed into the property before the building plans were even sketched out. There are aspects to waste, dimensions, materials, and techniques that will need to be discussed between the general contractor and the subs. These conversations should probably occur prior to design begins. In that way, estimates or feasibility can be ruled in-scope or out-of-scope as early in the project as possible.

Chapter 6 NGBS Point Structure

This graphic shows the point structure for Resource Efficiency. I’m shooting for NGBS Gold, so will need at least 113 points as I go through the section. Plus, always remember that I need 100 extra points spread across all the chapters.

Chapter 6 covers the items to the left in great detail. The best way to do this is to enter what you plan to do, and then make an appointment with your key subs to make sure they can deliver to the expectation.

One item that came is about eliminating waste in the construction. If you build at 16″, 24″, or 48″ divisible lengths, you greatly eliminate waste by using your available lumber to its best use.

There are three strategies to reduce a project’s waste and this is the order in which you want to address them:
1. Reduce. Look for ways waste can be prevented in the first place by identifying potential wastes early in the design process.
2. Reuse. After figuring out how to prevent waste, you want to identify waste that can be salvaged for reuse on your current project, on another project or donated.
3. Recycle. Lastly, figure out which waste materials can be recycled.

More and more agencies and companies are dedicated to the practice of recycling building material. There should be firms in your local area who will help you determine what materials qualify and the associated costs. At Swiftsure Energy Services, one of our roles is to help our local builders find the material at an optimum price. Contact us for more information.

There are points available if you are able to verify use of a material originating within 500 miles for a major element of the building. Examples of major materials include concrete, drywall, flooring, insulation, roofing, and/or siding.

In the area of consumer recycling, there are 6 points possible if you create a location or bin in the kitchen dedicated to collecting recycled materials. It has be labeled as such. Also, if you design in or provide a composting bin, points are available.

At the end of all sub-sections in Chapter 6, I ended up with 131 points with 113 required. Remember that I must have a total of 100 extra points across all 6 chapters at the end. However, this gives me some wiggle room if there are aspects of this area that are impractical during construction.

Chapter 7 in a couple of days.

Today, we head through Chapter 5 of the tool. Later, I’ll describe what is in Chapters 1-4, but those are overview chapters with the actual scoring information is in chapters 5-10. This chapter is focused on: Lot Design, Preparation, and Development. The chapter deals with the dirt, the location, and use of the land. You enter information that deals with sustainability and energy topics that should be considered while the property is still in its natural state.

For instance, site design principles such as saving trees, constructing onsite storm water retention/infiltration features, and orienting houses to maximize passive solar heating and cooling are basic processes used in the design and construction of green homes.

Scoring for Chapter 5 is very straight-forward. In order to meet your goal for NGBS, you need to meet the minimum in each category. In my case, I’m shooting for a Gold on this project, so the goal is to get at least 93 points in Chapter 5.

Each section in a chapter is separated into sub-categories. For chapter 5, the following categories will be scored:

• Lot information and access to Mass Transportation
• Natural Resources, Slope Disturbance, Storm Water Mgt.
• Landscape and Wildlife Plans
• Density, Mixed Use Development, Environmental Sensitivity
• Supervision, Trees, and Soils plans
• Driveway, Parking, and Heat Island Mitigation

Each sub-section of the scoring is then walked through, giving you the opportunity to add points towards the total. The section for 501.2 (Mass Transportation) is below. Each arrow is marked below.

A= This is where in the tool you are. Since there are multiple sections, I’ve found that keeping an eye on where I’m at lets me gauge progress and make sure I don’t get lost.
B= This is the Chapter head that we are working on now, and provides and overview of what is required. In this case, I’m being asked if the property is within 1/2 mile of picking up mass transit.
C= This is an important field to keep your notes and add comments. Both your verifier as well as the NGBS team can see what your assumptions are.
D= I use this “How to Verify” link all the time. It allows me to access more details and dictates what documentation I’m required to have to prove this. In this case, a map showing mass transportation in relationship to the property is required and easy to provide.
E= This is the most important part of the system. This is where it specifies how many points are possible and lets me check the box to claim these 3 points. I will be showing more of these type of screens in the next posts to describe examples of attributes.

At the bottom of each screen in the system, are two very nice tools which allow you to see your running total. It is similar to personal tax preparation software packages I’ve used that show you a “How much refund you’re getting” as you go through. This is the same concept for the chapter, as well as the project.

Here I can easily see that for chapter 5, I’m currently at 97 points. I’ve met the Gold level or need an additional 22 for Emerald.

This “Project Status” view is excellent for showing where I’m in relation to the overall certification. In total, I’m at 97 points. 558 are required for Gold, but I’ve not yet started chapters 6-10. Many more points are coming.

Also, don’t forget that I’ll need an extra 100 points spread across all the chapters. I’ve got 4 extra points for Chapter 5 and if I can’t make any up in 6-10, I might need to come back and adjust plans to meet.

If you’re still reading this far down into the post, I want to make sure one thing is very understood. You simply can’t start too early in the life of a project when getting points. Here is the situation I ran into. On the subject property, there was a very old tree that was unsafe, right in the middle of the property and had to be removed. The developer had it taken down and carted away. This was done 3 months before decisions about NGBS were being made. If, during the removal of the tree, the arborist would have provided documentation where the tree was going, and if recycling was included, I could have received another 3 points in this section. Just asking and getting proof was all it took.

More to come on Chapter 6. Love to hear your comments.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has long been committed to setting building standards across the country. In 2008, they developed a standard that incorporates both energy efficiency as well as sustainable practices into one easy to understand process. This process is called the National Green Building Standard (NGBS).

Many builders and remodelers are going green with the help of NAHBGreen. The suite of services was unveiled in February 2008 to provide a comprehensive set of educational resources, advocacy tools, a credible green standard, and referrals to a national green home certification system by the NAHB Research Center, a qualified and independent third party. Collectively, these offerings help home builders anywhere build green.

Over the next several days, I’m going to take you through the use of their tool which contractors can use to obtain a NGBS score on their homes, multi-unit, and subdivisions.

This is the basis of how the NGBS works. You need 6 scores from each of the chapters 5 through 10, plus an additional 100 points.
As an example, I’m going to show you over the next several posts, a project house I’m building. It is a multi-family unit and I’m shooting for a NGBS Gold score. So, I need to start with a score of 93 from Chapter 5 (Lot Design, Preparation, and Development). In addition, I need to score over the minimum amounts from each chapter so when all the sections are complete, I have an extra 100 points. If I can get to a 113 on the 1st chapter, it meets the minimum of 93, plus provides 20 points of the extra 100 required at the end.

If you are interested in what it takes to get started on their web-site, all it takes is a free account and registration.

You then have to answer some basic questions about your project before you really get started.

Most builders will pick the building, but developers have the option to rate the entire project.

There are different paths to consider depending on the building project.

These project variables are used for description and validated later in the project.

Next time I’ll start showing the actual data entry steps and take you through sample questions of all 6 chapters.

I’d love to hear what your experiences are using the Green Building Standard Tool as I’m showing it here. There is also an Excel version for use in the field when internet access is not available.

Mention heat pump water heaters and most people will still give you a long pause and blank stare!  These systems are fairly new.  Some explanation is in order.  They are arguably better than on demand water heaters… We are going to watch for comparison tests.  However, some of the research we have found is they are here to stay and likely will become the mainstay especially in electric homes. 

Most of the heat pump water heaters (HPWH) we have looked at have an efficiency in the 2.3 range or 230% efficient!  Current tank type electric water heaters are .92 or so.  Tank type gas water heaters are about .62 plus or minus a bit.  When we enter the HPWH into our energy modeling software it comes up as a huge energy saver.  The energy savings over a similar size gas WH is about 70%.  The HPWH also reduces the HERS rating by several points!  The HERS is like a MPG rating on a car.  Very few improvements or products change the savings or ratings the way this product does. 

Cost of a HPWH is inline with an on demand system – usually about $1200 and will vary with size and brand.  Even so the payback is tremendous!  For a homeowner doing a retrofit, payback should be within 2-3 years.  For builders – this would be a GREAT product to highlight and focus much of your marketing on.  Show your customers how much they will save every month and over the long haul!  Retrofits to an existing electric WH is really simple while retrofitting to other systems will take some extra efforts, mostly wiring.

One fact worth mentioning is that HPWH will “discharge or exhaust” cool air so they should be placed outside the conditioned space.  In moderate climates they work great!  In cold climates, locating the HPWH  would need to be taken into consideration.

Need more great ideas? Contact us for a free consultation!  360-624-5523