Every little bit counts when it comes to home energy conservation | Sustainable Tallahassee
Do you own an Energy Star appliance? Maybe a washing machine or refrigerator? Or office equipment like a printer or a computer? When buying that product, you contribute to “every little bit counts.” Your product is “certified” to be at least 15% more energy efficient than the industry standard.
How do I know? I am a RESNET HERS (Home Energy Rating System) Rater. I am also 71 years old, 5’2, and weigh 106 pounds, and as a HERS rater I get to play in the dirt with the boys on residential new construction sites. And my national license says I am the boss if they want their house to be certified Energy Star.
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My “boys” are building contractors who have chosen to contribute to “every little bit counts” by building homes that are certified to be at least 15% more energy efficient than the industry standard (i.e., the Florida Residential Building Code).
Residential homes have a sizable carbon footprint, accounting for about 22 percent of national energy consumption and a similar share of energy-related CO2 emissions.
How did my husband, Randy Conn, and I get into the world of building science?
After 28 years as a real estate broker for me, and as a certified building contractor for Randy, the 2008 recession was wearing us down. So, Randy and I decided to retire.
But we both knew we would have to do something — something with structure and value, but something positive, and that would be part-time. Voila, ES Green & Company, LLC, a full-service green certification, consulting and educational company, was formed.
Trained and licensed to certify
It took two years to complete the required training and licensure, but in 2010 we were ready to begin certifying homes. Our only miscalculation was thinking it would be part time.
Our business has grown from fewer than 30 homes certified in 2010 to more than 250 certified in 2021, with an additional 150+ code-mandated Building Envelope Tightness tests performed on non-certified homes. Other than that, we were spot on—it has structure, value, and is very positive for the environment, the homeowner, and how we feel about what we do.
For a new home to be certified Energy Star, an independent third party (HERS Rater) must have performance tested that unit upon completion to make sure it meets all the Energy Star requirements. These tests determine the efficiency of the building envelope, exhaust fans (bath and kitchen), mechanical ventilation, and the HVAC system.
Because the plans are modeled before construction begins and inspected throughout to make sure that what was proposed is what is built, it is seldom that a home we contract to certify doesn’t achieve that. But it does sometime happen.
What makes the energy difference
I won’t go into detail about the construction differences for a home to qualify for Energy Star. We would be happy to take you on a guided tour at the point of insulation so you can see just what makes the energy difference. What is important is the Energy Star certification, and the HERS Index number.
The Home Energy Rating System is a national standard that codifies the energy efficiency of residential units. It can be used on existing as well as new homes. Since you want your energy consumption to be a low as possible, the lower the HER Index number the better.
A new home built to the (pretty rigorous) Florida Residential Energy Code would score about 100, and existing homes 10 years or older will score 150 and up. Our builders are consistently scoring between 49 and 52.
The City of Tallahassee provides homeowners with a $1/square foot up to $2,000 rebate for a certified Energy Star home, including single-family detached, single-family attached, low-rise multifamily, and existing-home total, gut renovations.
Tax credits add up
A $2,000 Builder Energy Efficient Tax Credit has also been available to contractors who build a home that has an HVAC system that is at least 50% more efficient and a building envelope that is at least 10% more efficient. In 2021 we certified 221 homes that qualified for the COT rebate, and 149 that qualified for the Energy Efficient Tax Credit.
Most of the builders we work with also certify their homes as “Green.” We use the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) green standard because it is Florida specific. It has 3 different climate zones for our state. National certification programs like LEED and NGBS are good programs, but not as applicable to our hot humid climate.
In choosing to also certify FGBC, these builders move beyond energy conservation and address water conservation, minimizing site disturbance, healthy indoor air quality, sustainability of materials, durability, and disaster mitigation. A home built and certified Energy Star and FGBC Green is a home that will be efficient to own and maintain, and healthy and comfortable to live in.
You probably want to know which builders in our area certify ALL their homes either Energy Star, FGBC or both.
In alphabetical order: Adams Quality homes, Big Bend Habitat, Persica Design and Construction, Premier Fine Homes, Richard Sneed Construction, and Tallahassee Homes. Others may dabble and certify occasionally, but the listed builders consistently certify 100% of their homes.
So, when shopping for a new home or building a new house, ask for one that is certified. Every Little Bit Counts.
Jane Conn is a managing member of ES Green & Company, LLC, and can be reached at jbixconn@comcast.net. This is a “Greening Our Community” article, an initiative of Sustainable Tallahassee. Learn more at www.SustainableTallahassee.org.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Every little bit counts when it comes to energy conservation
