James F. Wilson
Trends: Shades of Green
Just outside downtown Winter Garden, on the south shore of Lake Apopka, sits the tiny town of Oakland. The sleepy rural enclave of 1,100, which was first settled more than a century ago, is now poised to make local history—at least in the realm of environmentally-friendly homebuilding.
Oakland Park, a new subdivision by Castle and Cooke, is the first Certified Green Community in Central Florida. The designation was awarded by the Florida Green Building Council.
Of course, that means all the homes in Oakland Park will be green. But it also means the entire project has been blessed by the council based on eight criteria ranging from site planning to landscaping.
"It’s something no other community in Orlando is doing," says Bob Hennen, vice president of sales and marketing for Castle and Cooke.
But others will likely follow suit. Green building, once a somewhat vague real-estate catch phrase, is now regarded by developers as good social policy and good business.
According to the latest research by the National Association of Realtors, 65 percent of buyers now view energy efficiency as an important consideration and 46 percent of buyers would prefer a green home.
"As we move into the next generation of buyers, they’re very energy conscious," says George Glance, division president for KB Home. He calls the industry’s commitment to the green movement "a step in the right direction."
KB Home is certainly doing its part. In December, the builder announced that beginning in 2008, it would equip all its new homes exclusively with Energy Star-certified refrigerators, dishwashers and laundry appliances from the Whirlpool Corporation.
Since Energy Star-qualified appliances use 10 to 50 percent less energy and water than standard models, the potential impact of this initiative by a major national builder such as KB Home is considerable.
In fact, KB Home is considered somewhat of a leader in the green-building arena. During the past few years, the company has built more than 42,000 Energy Star-certified homes in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
According to EPA estimates, the cumulative annual energy savings produced by these homes, which feature high performance HVAC systems, insulation and windows, is equivalent to removing more than 17,000 cars from the nation’s roadways. In addition, homeowners save as much as $16 million each year in utility bills.
"Energy Star homes cost about one dollar more a square foot," notes Jim Lentz, co-founder of Harmony, the new environmentally friendly community in Osceola County. "But you get 100 percent cost recovery in 12 months. That’s good for the environment and the homeowner."
All 7,200 homes to be built in Harmony are required to be Energy Star-certified, Lentz adds, while only about 30 percent of the land will ever be developed.
That’s also true at Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County’s Avington Park, according to Alex Kane, vice president of development for Heritage Green. The community, which features three- to five-acre homesites, is focused on preservation.
"We’re being very cautious with what we do with our land," he says. "And the homes here will be required to be Energy Star-certified."
Still, while buyers clearly like the concept of green building, many are undoubtedly confused about what’s green and what’s not. Greg Hardwick, owner of Hardwick General Contracting, has emerged as the front-man in an effort to provide education for consumers and industry pros.
Hardwick, whose background is in engineering and building science, is the first chairman of the Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando’s (HBA) Green Building Council, a group of HBA members with a true passion for the cause.
"We offer an educational program each month focusing on a particular area," he says. At the council’s first event, a standing-room-only crowd of builders and suppliers gathered for four hours to hear green-building guru Peter Pfeiffer, an architect known as a pioneer in the use of environment- ally responsible building design and construction techniques.
Jim Rahman, president of Westmont Green Homes, has a green vision of his own. He was the builder for Vision House ‘08 in conjunction with this year’s National Association of Homebuilder’s (NAHB) International Builder’s Show in Orlando.
"The Vision House has been the catalyst for us to be a greener entity," says Rahman. The 5,500-square-foot project, the third in a series sponsored by Green Builder Media, is located on the western shore of Lake Apopka, just beyond the Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County line in Montverde.
"If two people live at the Vision House, it will conserve 250,000 to 300,000 gallons of water a year," Rahman adds. "It proves you can still build luxury homes, and they can still be green."
Hardwick is currently renovating a 1918 home in College Park and adding a new townhome in a project called Amherst Place, both of which he expects will be certified green by the FGBC. In addition he plans to meet the new NAHB National Green Building Program standards, which were just released this winter.
Green building, of course, isn’t just about saving water and energy. It’s also about preserving land and protecting natural resources. For example, at Oakland Park homes won’t be built on the shores of either Lake Apopka or Lake Brim.
Hennen says that since the site encompasses a half-mile of shoreline along Lake Apopka, Castle and Cooke is restoring the area in cooperation with the Friends of Lake Apopka and the St. Johns River Water Management District. "We want to expose the public to the lake and its beauty," he adds.
Preservation is also key in Harmony, where no homes will be built fronting its two pristine, sand-bottom lakes. Instead, all residents have equal access to the water, although fuel-burning boats are prohibited.
KB Home is also involved in other environmental initiatives, including protecting old-growth trees from harvesting, according to Glance.
Indeed, it’s becoming clear the green-building movement isn’t so much a competition between builders as a process to be shared, embraced and understood.
Hennen for one is humbled by Oakland Park’s certification. But he invites other developments to work toward the same goal. "This is a direction for the future," he says. "We may have a level of uniqueness now, but I hope there are many more like us coming."
GREEN BUILDING IN THE NEWS
The Enclave, a new neighborhood in the Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County active-adult community of Legacy of Leesburg, will include 35-40 green homes. Pringle Development says each home is expected to include environmentally-friendly design options and the latest in green technology.
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Shea Homes is now marketing 705 certified green homes at its Victoria Gardens active-adult community in Volusia County. The homes will be built using the Shea Certified Green program, the builder’s proprietary certification protocol.
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Also in Volusia County, Mercedes Homes has unveiled the company’s first green-built home at Live Oak Estates in Deltona. The home is built based on criteria set forth in the company’s "Green for Life" program, which combines earth-friendly technologies with reduced energy consumption and water conservation.
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The New American Home celebrated its 25th anniversary at the International Builders Show with the first show home to be scored and certified through the brand-new National Association of Home Builders Green Building Program. The 6,725-square-foot, plantation-style home, built by Robertson Homes, is located in the Waters Edge subdivision at Lake Nona.
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Rey Group was recently awarded a grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Renewable Energy Technologies Grant Program to spread awareness about environmentally-friendly building practices in its Villa Sol community in Osceola County.
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KB Home has announced that it will now build new homes exclusively with Energy Star-qualified refrigerators, dishwashers and laundry appliances from Whirlpool Corporation. In recent years, the company has built more than 42,000 Energy Star-certified homes in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy. In addition, this year KB launched a program called "myEarth", in which environmentally-friendly design options are offered to homebuyers in KB Home Studios across the country.
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All homes built in Harmony must be Energy Star-certified and all community/public lighting is Dark-Sky compliant thus reducing light pollution and promoting the night sky. In celebration of this, Harmony will host the 5th Annual Dark Sky Festival on Saturday, April 5 in Harmony’s Town Square.
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ICI Homes and General Electric now are developing energy-efficient homes with "ecomagination" features in Ormond Beach. Daytona Beach-based ICI is building 133 E-Factor homes with ecomagination features in Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club. The homes boast savings of at least 30 percent in household energy use, 20 percent savings on household indoor water consumption and a 30 percent reduction in emissions associated with the home.
What Does Green Really Mean?
By Tracy DeCarlo
Creating a green home is not a static process. Rather, it requires the application of several elements which, taken together, can result in a comfortable, durable, energy-efficient, healthy and environmentally responsible structure. These elements include:
Energy. Energy conservation can be achieved through the judicious choice of construction methods, HVAC systems, lighting, appliances, and home orientation.
For example, selecting a lot that allows the most energy-efficient orientation of a home in relation to the sun is a simple but often overlooked way to cut energy bills.
In fact, some experts estimate that combining proper home orientation with a design that is focused on retaining the sun’s heat in winter and blocking it in summer can produce an energy savings of between 30 and 40 percent.
Water. Residential construction can contribute to the preservation of this most important resource through incorporating low-water-usage appliances and plumbing fixtures, efficient irrigation design and use of drought-tolerant native plants.
Durability. A green home is one that will still be standing strong many years down the road. Construction methods, fire-resistant materials, moisture mitigation and termite control all play a part in creating a durable structure.
Materials. Conservation of materials is the first and foremost goal, and minimizing square footage makes the biggest difference.
However, building materials that are produced or available locally, that contain recycled content and that support sustainability (for example, wood with a sustainable forestry certification) are also important contributors to a green home.
Recycling of building material waste during construction is another principal component of material usage.
Health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that indoor air is typically two to five times more polluted than outdoor air.
Proper ventilation and the selection of products with low or zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are two ways to improve indoor air quality. (VOCs, found in many paints, stains, carpet, carpet padding, cabinetry, particleboard, sealants and adhesives, are emitted as gases that negatively affect air quality.)
Incorporating a central vacuum system can also improve air quality. Regular vacuum cleaners release a portion of dust and other allergens back into the air. A central vacuum system, on the other hand, deposits 100 percent of vacuumed substances into the canister (usually located in the garage).
By the year 2030, half of all buildings in America will have been built since the year 2000. Building green now will make a difference.
Tracy DeCarlo is a Florida Green Home Standard Certifying Agent through the Florida Green Building Coalition, Vice-chair of the Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando Green Building Committee and author of Don’t Forget the Linen Closets! Tips for Building an Organized Home.
ACRONYMS AND CERTIFICATIONS
Get ready for some acronyms. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) is responsible for LEED (Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design), which is the national green-building rating system.
LEED was first introduced as standards for commercial construction in 1999. Now, nine years later, USGBC has released LEED Homes, a rating system for residential building.
But not all LEED requirements are applicable in Florida, say experts. So regional certification is also available through the Florida Green Building Council (FGBC), which takes into account climate and weather conditions here and in the Caribbean.
"The FGBC takes into effect a lot of climate issues," says Paul Nutcher, communication director for the organization’s Central Florida chapter. "The USGBC knows there are some regional issues that need to be addressed."
More recently, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) launched its own National Green Building Program at its 2008 International Builders’ Show in Orlando.
The NAHB program is designed to be a low-cost administrative and certification system that will help keep green affordable. NAHB’s program would compete with the LEED as a certifying body for residential and commercial buildings.
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