Advance praise for Jerry Yudelson’s many years at the heart of the green building movement have led to his developing an excellent document on sustainable housing. This will be a valuable guide not only for homebuyers and consumers, but also for designers and builders. The greenest home we can build is not to build one at all; this book pro- vides good advice on the next best thing. — Steven Winter, FAIA, Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Chairman, USGBC LEED for Homes Committee Choosing Green provides the consumer with an up-to-the-minute, very thorough overview of green residential building in America. It’s a guide to green construc- tion practices, as well as a navigation system for purchasing a truly green house. Any buyer who attempts to do so without this information must beware! — Mark Berman, Davis Energy Group Jerry Yudelson, one of the foremost experts in the green building industry, has sys- tematically gathered in-depth, hard to find information and coalesced his decades of experience into this tremendously valuable tool. Choosing Green provides clear guidance to navigate the complexity of the green building marketplace and its ex- tensive resources. — Christi Graham, Founder & President, West Coast Green Today, much is being written about green housing and the myriad of related certifi- cation standards. Choosing Green is an excellent book by an extremely knowledge- able author, and should be a “must-read” for anyone contemplating the purchase of an “environmentally green” home. This book will help prospective green home purchasers gain a much better understanding of what constitutes a “green home” and how to make a wise purchase. — Michael Geller, Adjunct Faculty, Centre for Sustainable Community Development, Simon Fraser University Jerry Yudelson epitomizes the best of green building theory, design principles and construction practices. His work inspires and contributes to the industry’s trans- formation and this book is no exception — it will serve any homebuyer seeking quality, efficient and healthy living very well. — Yves Khawam, Pima County, Arizona, Chief Building Official Jerry Yudelson is a rare find in the increasingly confusing world of green building scientists, policy makers, product manufacturers, and marketers. He is a jack of all trades who is able to synthesize the most salient trends, issues, and strategies down to their most compeling and useful points. Choosing Green is a great contribution to the consumer looking to invest wisely and make a positive impact. — Rob Bennett, a leading voice for green buildings in the public sector With consumer demand for green living growing rapidly, Choosing Green is a very timely resource for new homebuyers who want to make smart decisions about one of their largest investments. Yudelson’s book is both comprehensive and practical, acknowledging there is no “one size fits all” solution. By providing homebuyers with the right set of tools they will be better prepared to make purchase decisions that best fit their green priorities, available options and lifestyles. — Rebecca L. Flora, Executive Director, Green Building Alliance As an architect with a portfolio of green homes, I can attest to the plethora of how- to books on green building, most of which are geared towards the “innovators” and “early adapters” in the design and construction industry. What makes Choos- ing Green special is that it is written for the prospective homebuyer, a milestone in the evolution of sustainable design! — Nathan Good, AIA, NathanGoodArchitect.com Among the chief challenges to buying a green home, or greening the one you have, has been ready access to good information. Choosing Green is an authoritative response: it will help you ask the right questions, avoid greenwash, and create a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle for yourself and your family. — Michelle Moore, Senior Vice President, U.S. Green Building Council Wish you had a trusted friend that could explain what is important (and not) about choosing a green home? Then Jerry Yudelson is your new best buddy! Writ- ten with the homebuyer in mind, Choosing Green cuts through the green fog with great anecdotes and case studies — showing what makes a truly green home, who is building them, where you can get one. — Walker Wells, Green Building Program Director, Global Green USA Finally! A comprehensive guide for anyone interested in green homes. This book is the best resource I have seen for understanding green homes, and it is presented in an easy to understand format. — Philip Beere, Green Street Development, Phoenix, Arizona Choosing Green is a must read manual for people looking to make good environ- mental decisions for their homes and their families. It is clear, insightful, informa- tive, current and timely; guiding both small steps and deep green opportunities. — Lauren Yarmuth, YRG Consultants, New York City New Society Publishers Cataloging in Publication Data: A catalog record for this publication is available from the National Library of Canada. Copyright © 2008 by Jerry Yudelson. All rights reserved. Cover design by Diane McIntosh. Leaf image: iStock Left bottom: Courtesy of SunPower Left middle photo: Photography by John Baker, courtesy of Homewise, Inc. Top photo: Photography by Loren Heyns, courtesy of Green Street Properties Right bottom: Photography by Bill Timmerman, courtesy of Modus Development Printed in Canada. First printing April 2008. Paperback ISBN: 978-0-86571-610-0 Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Choosing Green should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below. To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North America) 1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to: New Society Publishers P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada (250) 247-9737 New Society Publishers’ mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision. We are committed to doing this not just through education, but through action. This book is one step toward ending global deforestation and climate change. It is printed on Forest Stewardship Council-certified acid-free paper that is 100% post- consumer recycled (100% old growth forest-free), processed chlorine free, and printed with vegetable-based, low-VOC inks, with covers produced using FSC-certified stock. Additionally, New Society purchases carbon offsets based on an annual audit, operating with a carbon- neutral footprint. For further information, or to browse our full list of books and purchase securely, visit our website at: www.newsociety.com 100% New Society Publishers SW-C0C-1271 www.newsociety.com For everyone who wants to live a more sustainable and less impactful lifestyle, and for all those who want to help them do so, this book is for you. Contents Preface xi Foreword xv 1 The Green Home Revolution 1 Why Choose Green? Homeowners Share Their Reasons . . 3 The Global Warming Challenge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Energy Use in the Home and Climate Change . . . . . . . . 8 Environmental Impacts of Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Green Home Builders and Buyers Respond to Climate Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 2 What Is a Green Home? 21 Key Features of a Green Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Building Science Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 What’s Wrong with Typical New Homes? . . . . . . . . . . 35 3 The Experience of Living in a Green Home 41 4 What Goes into a Green Home? Green Products, Systems and Technologies 53 Products Used in Green Homes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 The Building Envelope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Mechanical Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Vapor Barriers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Plumbing Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Tankless Water Heaters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Lighting Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 [ vii ] [ viii ] choosing green ENERGY STAR Appliances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Solar Water Heating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Solar Electric Systems (Photovoltaics) . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Interior Finishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 5 How Do I Know It’s a Green Home? Green Home Rating Programs 79 HERS Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 ENERGY STAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Green Building Program . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 US Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes (LEED-H). 87 Local Utility Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Local Government Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Green Building Ratings from Local Non-profits. . . . . . . 100 Canada ENERGY STAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Environments for Living (GE ecomagination and Masco Contractor Services) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 American Lung Association Health House Program . . . . 108 Bringing It All Together — Building Science and Third-party Certification at Civano. . . . . . . . . 109 6 Where Can I Find a Green Home? Single-family Home Developments 113 ENERGY STAR Builders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 NAHB National Green Building Program . . . . . . . . . . 115 LEED for Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Local Certification Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Pacific Northwest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Northern California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Southern California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Southwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 South and Southeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Eastern Seaboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Canada. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 A State-by-state Listing of Leading ENERGY STAR Homebuilders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Contents [ ix ] 7 Where Can I Find a Green Condominium? 149 Portland, Oregon, South Waterfront Development . . . . . 150 Seattle, Florera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Victoria, British Columbia, Dockside Green. . . . . . . . . 152 Los Angeles, South Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Toronto, L Tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Toronto, Radiance @ Minto Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 North Vancouver, British Columbia, Silva . . . . . . . . . . 154 Boston, Macallen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 New York City, Riverhouse at Battery Park City . . . . . . . 155 New York City, Lucida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Minneapolis/Bloomington, Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . 156 St. Louis, Missouri, Gustine Townhomes. . . . . . . . . . . 157 Nation’s Capitol Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Atlanta, Oakland Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Palo Alto, California, Vantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Green Condo Rating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 8 How Can I Pay for a Green Home? Show Me the Money! 161 Credits and Incentives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Using Energy Savings to Pay the Mortgage. . . . . . . . . . 165 Energy-efficient Mortgages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Resale Value. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 9 Choosing Green: Evaluating Home Builder Offerings 169 Doing Your Homework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Testing Your Own Preferences for a Green Home . . . . . . 172 Evaluating Builders’ Green Offerings. . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 What Does It Take to Become Certified Under LEED for Homes? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Financing the Purchase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 10 After the Sale: What Can You Do to Make the Home Greener? 179 Saving Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Saving Energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Producing Energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183