April, 2007
Vol. 2    Issue 4
 
 
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As Published in ... NATION'S BUILDING NEWS "IN A DOWN HOUSING MARKET, GREEN DEMAND EXCEEDS SUPPLY"
 
If you've ever wondered whether an investment in energy efficiency and green building would ever really pay off, it appears the proof may be in the pudding. According to participants in an April 16th NAHB Teleconference, and a recent McGraw-Hill Construction survey, it appears that demand for green building and remodeling is higher than the available supply, and that consumer sentiment is that there just aren't enough green builders and their products available in the current housing stock. To learn more, go to the full article.
 
2007 Denver Built Green University - A Huge Success!
 
Thanks to all of our sponsors for the 2007 Denver Built Green University; you helped make this event the most successful BGU yet. We had 130 attendees, our largest audience to date – clearly the content is highly valued and will continue to draw builders from around the state.

Thanks again to our 2007 BGU Sponsors:

Title Sponsor:

  • Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Presenting Sponsors:

  • Owens Corning
  • RW Specialties
  • Tamarack Technologies
  • Rinnai Corporation

Supporting Sponsors:

  • Grace Construction Products
  • Active Energies
  • Pella Windows
  • Universal Forest Products
  • El Rey Stucco
  • Colorado Protective Coating

If you missed this event, don’t worry - we will be offering 2 more BGUs in November. The BGUs will be held in Pueblo and Vail; watch for the announcement of sponsorship opportunities.
 
Welcome to our newest Built Green Builder and Sponsor members
 
Built Green Builders joining in April were:
  • Columbine Homes, Inc. – Colorado Springs
  • Stratton Custom Homes, LLC – Ft. Collins
  • Lesaris, LLC – Ft. Collins
  • Infinity Communities– Metro Denver
  • Birch St. Development – Metro Denver
  • Delta Construction – Steamboat Springs
  • Alpine Construction – Crested Butte

Built Green Sponsors joining in April were:

  • Precision Comfort Heating and Cooling – Durango
  • USA Solar Power – Littleton

Built Green currently has 187 builder members and 54 sponsor members.
 
Homes by the numbers
 
The total number of home registrations so far in 2007 is 763.

Builders: Remember that home registrations are due at time of permit. Submitting home registrations at the same time you submit permits will keep your paperwork on track. If you are permitting in volume you may register homes in bulk each month, but quarterly submittals are no longer allowed.
 
Solar Communities – BG Builders Heat it Up with Help from the Sun
 
Built Green builders are capturing free renewable energy from the sun - and rebates and tax credits - by installing solar systems on their homes. Both the builder and the home buyer benefit! Some of the leading Built Green builders who are capturing energy, market attention and savings on renewables are:

Harvard Communities – The Architect Collection, Stapleton
Harvard Communities Inc. has added a 2.5 KW solar system as a standard feature on all of their houses in The Architect Collection at Stapleton. Solar power generates about 1/3 of the home’s annual electric demand, which is a huge boost to homes that are 40% more efficient than a typical new home. Building approximately 20 homes a year for the Architect Collection, Harvard participates in Built Green, Energy Star, and Environments for Living.

Wonderland Hill Development Company – Silver Sage and Solar Row, North Boulder
Wonderland Hill Development Company builds sustainable communities based on concepts that combine personal values, community interaction, organic design and sustainable building practices and principles. Silver Sage is an 18 unit project; 12 of the units will include solar thermal. Solar Row is a 13 unit project that will include solar electric on all units. With over 30 years of development experience, Wonderland Hill Development Company is a pioneer in the high-quality green building sector, winning awards consistently for building communities with energy efficient designs and sustainable features.

McStain Neighborhoods – Bradburn Village, Westminster:
All 42 of McStain’s homes in Bradburn Village will include state-of-the-art 3 KW photovoltaic systems married with McStain’s truly time-honored style. McStain has also committed to partner with the next University of Colorado Solar Decathlon Team, including arranging for use of one of McStain’s Bradburn lots for the construction of the team’s entry in that prestigious national competition. CU's entry has taken first place in the last two competitions.
 
Bringing Zero-Energy Homes Into the mainstream – Save the Date
 
More and more, builders are finding that moving toward zero-energy offers a significant business opportunity, both as a way to stay ahead of the competition and to meet growing homebuyer demand for high performance, energy efficient buildings.

To help Colorado builders understand this opportunity and stay ahead of this growing market trend, The Governor’s Energy Office, the Center for ReSource Conservation and the HBA’s Built Green Colorado program proudly present: “A New Market Paradigm for Zero-Energy Homes: the Comparative San Diego Case Study.” Barbara Farhar, the author of the report, will present the results of a five-year study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory focused on one builder’s experience with, and the market’s response to, high-performance homes. The findings will surprise you. NREL’s study dispels the conventional wisdom of building homes “to code” versus building to a higher standard of energy performance.

In addition, the Governor’s Energy Office and Xcel Energy will provide new information on available and upcoming incentives and support to help builders incorporate energy conservation and renewable energy features into their new construction projects. Don’t miss this exciting chance to learn about the new market paradigm and take advantage of the opportunities offered by building green.

May 24, 2007. 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Location to be announced. For more information or to RSVP, contact Amy Ellsworth: 303-441-3278 ext. 13 or at aellsworth@conservationcenter.org
 
Builders: Get the most out of your Built Green distinction!!
 
  • Help keep all your company and team members informed about Built Green:
    • Distribute the Built Green e-News to all members of your team!
    • Make your company’s commitment to homes that are better built and better for the environment a feature of your in-house newsletters
    • Include Built Green as a regular and on-going element of your sales staff trainings – they’re your front line in distinguishing your homes from your competitor’s
    • Make sure the Realtors you work with understand Built Green
  • Use the Built Green logo in all your marketing and sales materials – proudly identify your company with the best green building program in the country
  • Display Built Green brochures in your sales models
  • Display Built Green yard signs in your communities
  • If you use a mystery shopper, ask them to include how well you merchandise Built Green, and how well your sales staff leverages the Built Green distinction
  • Include Built Green questions or comments in referral follow up postcards or phone calls
 
Home for Charity in Northern Colorado
 
Built Green builder member UBuildIt has begun construction on a home that will be auctioned off to support Child Advocacy Centers of Larimer and Weld counties. A combination of green building and universal design will make this home truly user and earth friendly. The 2007 Charity Home will demonstrate to the public that it is possible to build a highly efficiency and environmentally friendly home that is also cost effective to build. Child Advocacy Centers, which supports and assists abused and neglected children in Northern Colorado, will receive 100% of the net proceeds of the house. The project will also feature a website based voting system to allow the general public to select final finishes such as cabinetry, floor coverings and finish colors for the house.

The website: www.ubuilditforthechildren.org will be updated for this year’s home in early May.

For additional information or if your company wishes to participate in this home, please contact Doug Collins at UBuildIt at (970) 225-1403 or fortcollins.co@ubuildit.com.
 
April Sales Tip
 
This month’s sales tip features item # 13 from the 2007 Built Green Checklist

Solar electric systems or other onsite renewable energy source provides 10%-50% of the home’s electric needs:

Sales Tip: State and Federal tax credits and utility rebates make solar electric systems very cost effective these days. Solar systems are fueled by the sun, are a renewable energy source, and emit none of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. By using free energy from the sun, they save homebuyers money on energy bills! Some utilities, such as Xcel, credit the homebuyer’s electric bill for any power generated that exceeds the home’s use (net metering).

To learn more about net metering, please see “additional info” under item # 13 from the Guide to the 2007 Built Green Checklist.

We hope you enjoy receiving the e-News just as much as we enjoy putting it out to all of you. Let us know if there is news you would like us to include. enews@builtgreen.org
 
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© 2007 Home Builders Association of Metro Denver