Built Green/E-Star Partnership Beefy

"Where's the beef?"
- Presidential candidate's debate: Walter Mondale vs. Gary Hart (1984).

By now, unless you recently moved into town or just got off the Russian space station, you've heard about the Green Builder Program of Colorado.

As you've no doubt learned from TV promotions, printed material, presentations through the HBA or colleagues in the program, a Built Green home is more energy, water and resource efficient; should be more durable and comfortable; and will reduce pollution emitted from the home. Sounds like a winner for U.S. Home, The Genesee Company, McStain and all the other participating builders, right?

And you've probably heard that the program is already a marketing hit. It's the largest and best-known program of its kind in the US. Best of all, it's a voluntary, industry-sponsored program that enjoys broad support, including funding and in-kind efforts, from lots of players: the Governor's Office of Energy Conservation (OEC), Public Service Co., Energy Rated Homes of Colorado (ERHC), many product sponsors, and even the press.

But some skeptics sitting on sidelines might be wondering, "how do I know there's real substance to this program? How do I know these guys are really doing what they say they're doing? Where's the credibility? Where's the beef?"

Here's the beef

Quality control is an enormously important part of any business program. And so it is with Built Green. Here's how it works.

On a random basis, and at no additional cost to the builder, five percent or one home per year, whichever is greater, of each enrolled builder's registered homes will be inspected by a third party. That party is an E-Star/Built Green rater, certified by ERHC and trained about the Built Green checklist. This is called the random rating process.

The certified rater will perform a complete E-Star energy rating on the home. Then they inspect for the 38 or more items from the Built Green Checklist which the builder selected to incorporate in his home. Examples of such items would be installation of a setback thermostat, light-colored floor coverings, "I" joists in floors, elimination of Luan doors, and use of cementitious siding.

Items which are not verifiable by site inspection-such as paints that have low volatile organic compounds, or recycling of 50 percent of all job-site waste-are normally verified with proof-of-purchase documents. A few items, like prohibition of burying waste on the building site, just require a builder's signature.

Educational components

In order to assure that all participating builders fully understand the program and meet program requirements, there are three free educational opportunities.

First, each participating company attends a 1.5-day training session, dubbed the "Built Green/E-Star University." The trainings are held two or three times a year, depending on demand. The next scheduled training is set for three mornings - February 3, 10 and 12 from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Items covered include information about the Built Green Checklist (including the new 35-page guidebook), training about the minimum energy requirement (an E-Star rating of 80, or meeting the Model Energy Code Tradeoff Worksheet), marketing information, and a field demonstration and inspection session. (Call Kim Calomino, the RBA's Built Green program administrator, at 303-778-1400 for details.)

Second, each participating Built Green builder is provided with a onetime demonstration "super rating" through ERHC. Two energy experts inspect and test your home for three hours, then demonstrate their findings to you, your heating contractor and anyone else you would like to have in attendance. They test the home's tightness with a blower door, your ductwork with a duct blaster, your basement for its potential to be depressurized (a safety concern), and other items. Funding for this demonstration is provided by the OEC.

Third, you receive six free E-Star home energy ratings and green checklist inspections, also with funding from the Energy Office. The initial few are intended to be educational in focus. The rater will be glad to demonstrate their findings to site supers and other interested parties.

Kim Calomino calls up a participating Built Green builder and lets them know it's time to undergo a random rating and green checklist inspection. She schedules it with a rater of the builder's choosing. The rater coordinates a time when they can test one of the builder's homes; it must be fairly soon before closing, when carpet is down and finished electrical is completed, in order to accurately measure house tightness with a blower door.

The rater visits the site, tests the house for tightness and collects other information to complete the rating, inspects items on the checklist, and asks for documentation of items not possible to inspect. When the rating is completed, the rater notifies the HBA with the results.

All inspected homes must comply with the Checklist. If the home fails to comply with the Checklist, the builder must correct the problem and schedule a reinspection. When an inspected home failed the initial inspection, the HBA may require that another similar home be inspected as well.

Early returns

During 1997, the first preliminary random rating was performed, just to get some experience and some feedback. There were a number of wrinkles to iron out.

The next round of ratings were performed by November 1998. According to Calomino, all homes passed the Built Green Checklist, though it was initially somewhat time-consuming to set up a documentation process that worked for both the builders and raters. Since The Genesee Company is an EStar builder (meaning all their homes automatically receive an energy rating), their inspection process went very smoothly.

After the initial round of inspections cited above, the random ratings process kicked into high gear last month. You'll get more information on the results next month.

Steve Andrews consults with builders for E-Star Colorado and writes on energy issues (sbandrews@att.net). E-Star (www.e-star.com), is a nonprofit home energy rating system that works with both new and existing homes statewide.

 Steve Andrews consults with builders for Energy Rated Homes of Colorado and writes on energy issues. Call ERHC, 303-297-7430.

2008 Built Green Colorado

Home Builders Association of Metro Denver, 9033 E. Easter Place, Suite 200, Centennial, CO 80112
(303) 778-1400 fax: (303) 733-9440  info@builtgreen.org

Last Updated: 10/05/2007