Certifiably Green!

All the work has paid off. Our builder called a couple of weeks ago to let us know that our certification papers had come in. He made a trip up to see how we have settled into the house and to present us with the certificates.

Our first certificate is from the National Association of Home Builders Research Center. They certified the house at a Gold level (there are actually 4 levels - Emerald, Gold, Silver, and Bronze). The Emerald level costs more a lot more money to try to get certified as so we opted to go for the Gold. Our builder thinks we could have easily met the requirements for Emerald but it would have cost us over $2,000 more in fees to apply. Out of all the U.S. we are certificate # 1726 for Gold level certification. We think that is impressive.



The second certificate is from Energy Star. It states that with a HERS index of 45 we meet or exceed the strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.



The third is a Home Energy Rating Certificate. The highest rating is 5 plus stars. In order to reach the 5+ star level the home has to have a HERS index of 70 or less. Our index of 45 is 55% better than the requirements for a 5+ star!



We are certainly proud that we made the decision to build in the most efficient manor possible.