Green Homes

Recent Features

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California Retrofit Measures Cut Energy Use by 45%

Sep 16, 2010 | Fair Oaks, California

With help from the local utility, a California builder has turned a foreclosed property into a cutting-edge energy-efficient demonstration home. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the sixth-largest public utility in the U.S., has been working with builders and homeowners to construct energy-efficient homes for many years. SMUD recently partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on this Energy Efficient Remodel Demonstration program.

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Easy LEED Platinum?

Sep 3, 2010 | Washington, District of Columbia

“It was easier than I thought,” says Amy Levin when first asked about her LEED for Homes Platinum gut rehab. This would not be the last time my jaw would drop when dealing with Amy; she is a completely unflappable, sharp as a tack, force of nature. She is a born problem-solver and her favorite retort is most certainly “why not” rather than “why.” The devil is always in the details; here is the rest of the context on Amy’s “easy” version of LEED Platinum.

Using the LEED for Homes checklist to drive the process

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A Two-Phased LEED for Homes Gut Rehab

Aug 5, 2010 | Cambridge, Massachusetts

Don’t all major home renovations span decades?
Jim Newman and Sarah Slaughter bought a rather pedestrian Cambridge home in 1996 and began full renovation in 2001, recently completing the metamorphosis in 2010. They have always taken the long view on both the environment and their own home’s performance. As building professionals in their own right, Jim and Sarah worked closely with NPS Studios and their contractor on the energy and resource efficiency aspects during BOTH phases of their whole-house renovation.

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A 100-year old Energy Star home

Jul 19, 2010 | Bozeman, Montana

Anders Lewendal likes to lead—he is President of his local homebuilder’s association and chairs its green building committee, sits on the Mayor’s Climate Control Task Force, and has had entries in the Bozeman Parade of Homes 7 of the last 10 years. So when he decided to remodel a 100-year old period home in Bozeman, MT, it had to be a gut rehab shooting for an Energy Star label. This is no mean feat—there are only a handful of these projects in the entire Northwest.

A brief history of 711 North Black