Forty Shades of Green

Buyers looking for environmentally friendly new homes will have plenty to choose from in coming years, thanks to Green Built Homes of Florida, an initiative launched this summer by the Northeast Florida Builders Association, JEA and the St. Johns River Water Management District.

In addition, the Florida Home Builders Association and the Florida Green Building Coalition have initiated a partnership to advocate uniform, statewide green building standards and offer educational programs for the public and the industry.

But all this isn't happening just because buyers have suddenly developed an intense interest in protecting Mother Nature. Soaring energy costs have propelled demand-and builders are responding.

So far, about a dozen Northeast Florida builders have pledged to participate in the local program. That means, for now, that they'll be adopting strict energy- and water-efficiency standards. Some will also increase their use of renewable or sustainable building materials and take other steps to make their offerings more environmentally friendly.

"We were very pleased when this program was announced," says Barbara Moore, president of Beazer Homes' Jacksonville Division. "We've committed to building all our homes to GBHF specifications."

Qualifying homes will follow criteria set forth in two programs, Energy Star and Water Star.

Energy Star, a certification program developed in the early 1990s by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was first used to identify energy-efficient products, such as computers and appliances.

But now, Energy Star standards have been developed for new construction. In short, Energy Star-certified homes are independently verified to be at least 30 percent more energy-efficient than homes built to the 1993 national Model Energy Code or 15 percent more efficient than individual state energy codes, whichever is more rigorous.

Water Star is a new certification program developed by the St. Johns River Water Management District to encourage water-efficiency in appliances, plumbing fixtures, irrigation systems and landscaping. Inside a Water Star-certified home, an average family could save 20,000 gallons annually. Outside, "water-wise" landscaping could cut irrigation use in half.

Beazer, in fact, has for several years built homes that are Energy Star-compliant through its Environments for Living program, which uses state-of-the-art technology to ensure indoor air quality, combustion safety and tight construction to avoid moisture intrusion.

"The payoff is absolutely there for homebuyers," says Moore. "There's a financial benefit and a health benefit." In fact, in addition to lower power bills, studies have shown that improved indoor air quality means fewer illnesses-and lower doctor bills as well.

Other local builders who have signed on include Centex Homes, Collins Builders, D.S. Killian General Contractors, Hovis Custom Builders, Morrison Homes, Partnership Custom Homes, Ryland Homes, SEDA Construction Company, SRG Homes & Neighborhoods, Toll Brothers and Truly Custom Homes.

There is a financial incentive for participating builders in the form of a rebate from JEA, but it's minimal. Indeed, one of the first builders to get a JEA check, Dan Hovis of Hovis Custom Homes, said the amount was $255.

"The money is just an acknowledgement that homes meet Energy Star criteria," says Hovis. "I bought into the concept of energy-efficient homes years ago, and knew my homes would qualify without any modifications. I've been building this way for almost 10 years."

David Reed, technical support specialist for JEA, says the utility is spending some $110 million per year to add capacity as the region grows. Conservation measures, if effective, could reduce that expenditure and even forestall construction of new power plants. "All of Florida is relatively behind the curve," says Reed. "But we're coming up to speed."

Water Star, the other major FGBH component, is a newer concept than Energy Star. The program was initiated in 2002 by the St. Johns River and Southwest Florida water management districts in conjunction with the University of Florida. It was rolled out in Northeast Florida in January of this year.

In July, SJCWMD certified the state's first Water Star-compliant homes. Collins Builders earned the nod with two models in Blackwood Forest, a 72-home subdivision in the Mandarin area.

"We were asked [by SJCWMD] to get involved over a year ago on the formulation of the program and to offer advice from the builder's side," says Ashley Collins, owner of the company. "Then we decided to participate in the pilot program. We like to be the first to try new things, and we've enjoyed it."

Inside the homes, Collins installed Energy Star-rated dishwashers and low-flow toilets. But it's the landscaping package that really impressed him, with its emphasis on beds of indigenous and drought-resistant plants and a "smart" irrigation system with an underground moisture sensor that monitors rainfall and keeps the system from cycling on if it's just rained.

Teresa Monson, regional communications coordinator for SJRWMD, says she hopes the program catches on. "I'd love to see [Water Star] be the standard for all homes in Florida," she says. "And I think, in light of the state's growing population, that's what we'll have eventually."

Daniel Davis, NEFBA executive director and vice president of the Jacksonville City Council, agrees that promoting environmentally friendly building is important, particularly in a rapidly growing state with a fragile ecosystem.

"NEFBA stands behind this program because that's where the future is," Davis says. "Ultimately, I think all homes will be built using GBHF standards. It's the right thing to do. It's what we have to do to conserve resources."

THE COST OF GOING GREEN

Since 1995, more than 360,000 new homes nationwide have earned the Energy Star designation, saving homeowners an estimated $200 million and eliminating approximately 4 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

That dollar figure should grab the interest of most buyers, for whom greenhouse gas emissions are a more abstract concept. Unquestionably, energy-efficient homes save consumers more money per month. But how long does it take to recoup the up-front investment?

The obvious answer is, it depends on how much you invest.

In years past, builders have been reluctant to install green features, such as additional insulation, because it added to the cost and didn't provide a particular marketing advantage over a similar home without the green features.

Thus green building became the province of people who could afford to have a social conscience. That all may be changing as energy prices rise and technology improves.

In fact, the St. Johns Housing Partnership, based in St. Augustine, is building a community of 32 affordable eco-friendly homes at Hammock Place in St. Johns County. The average price tag is expected to be $130,000.

Yes, green technologies and products are still usually more expensive than their less eco-friendly counterparts. But you don't have to spend a fortune to enjoy some of the benefits.

In other words, there are "shades of green," according to Karen Childress, environmental stewardship manager for WCI Communities. A home can incorporate some green characteristics, or it can be green in every possible respect. "You can go from chartreuse green to dark forest green," Childress notes.

Indeed, even a home with a handful of relatively inexpensive green features can save 20 percent per year on energy bills.

For example, a 2003 University of Florida study showed that an Energy Star-qualified home cost just $1,200 more than a comparable home without energy-efficient features. If a $300-per-month utility bill could be cut by $60 a month, the additional outlay is recouped in two years. Or if the $1,200 is wrapped into your mortgage, then the lower power bill more than offsets the slightly higher loan payment.

Plus, some lenders offer special mortgage packages for Energy Star-certified homes, including closing-cost discounts. And there are loans that offer credits for anticipated lower utility bills, thereby increasing borrowing power.

Electricity, of course, is costly, so buyers pay more attention to ways they can save on their monthly power bill. Water, however, has been a different matter. Despite the environmental urgency of doing so, are buyers willing to invest in technologies to conserve a resource that's still so cheap?

For example, Water Star enhancements on newly certified homes in Blackwood Forest add from $4,000 to $6,000 to the base price.

By saving 20,000 gallons per year from interior water use alone, the Water Star investment can eventually be recouped-but over a period of many years.

"Some people will pay the extra money because they're conservationists, some because they'll save money in the long run, and some for both reasons," says Wayland Wiseman, chief operating officer for Collins Builders, the company developing Blackwood Forest.

There's some evidence to back him up. In a survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders, respondents said they were willing to spend an average of $9,600 more for energy-efficient features that could be shown to save money on monthly utility bills.

In addition, some studies show that energy- and water-efficient features add significantly to a home's resale value. For example, homes in the country's first "sustainable" community, Village Homes in California, are valued at $11 more per square foot than conventional homes in the same region.

And in Northeast Florida, a study of appraisals estimated that Energy Star certification alone can add $4,000 in resale value. Other studies have indicated that for every dollar in monthly savings from energy-efficient features, a home's resale value increases by $20.