OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Build It Green, California’s leading expert on residential green building, announced a major milestone today: 10,000 single- and multi-family homes will receive the GreenPoint Rated label, representing the gold standard in green home construction and remodels, by the end of 2011.
These GreenPoint Rated homes are saving California over 112 million gallons of water — enough to fill Crystal Springs Reservoir five times over — and avoiding nearly 9,000 tons of greenhouse gases, the equivalent of taking over 1,500 cars off the road for a year. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an estimated 17 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions are from residential homes each year.
GreenPoint Rated is designed to help homeowners and builders ensure their home or development is built or remodeled to meet high environmental standards. Like a report card for green homes, the rating system assigns points based on five categories: Energy Efficiency, Resource Conservation, Indoor Air Quality, Water Conservation and Community Benefits. Point values are determined based on the use of verified green construction practices and sustainable materials that exceed California's residential building and energy code requirements.
To ensure a home is built or remodeled to maximize efficiency and minimize environmental impacts, GreenPoint Rated assesses points based on green building techniques including:
- Increasing energy efficiency by implementing energy saving construction techniques and equipment such as solar power, solar water heating and ENERGY STAR appliances
- Conserving water with toilets, faucets, showerheads and landscaping that require less water
- Creating healthier indoor air quality by using less toxic paint and installing appropriate ventilation systems to reduce levels of chemicals, dust and mold
- Using reclaimed or sustainable building materials like bamboo and recycled glass to protect forests and reduce landfill waste
- Creating livable communities, enhancing quality of life and minimizing pollution through community benefits like proximity to public transportation, stores and other services
“In designing my green home, it was important to me to create a home that is not only good for the environment today, but establishes a legacy of sustainable living practices for my children and future generations,” said Ian Macleod, owner of a GreenPoint Rated home in Albany, CA that won the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco Chapter, Energy + Sustainability Citation Award in May 2010. “As an architect and Certified Green Building Professional myself, I knew the GreenPoint Rated label represented the high environmental standards I wanted for my family’s home.”
In addition to environmental benefits, homes that have been built or remodeled using green building techniques have been shown to lower the cost of monthly utility bills, home maintenance and repairs. Early research also indicates that green homes may retain their value better, even in a tough real estate market, and are attractive to a growing number of homeowners and buyers.
- Market research conducted in 2008 by McGraw-Hill Construction suggests that an estimated 70 percent of home buyers are more inclined to buy a green home in a down economy than a non-green home (McGraw-Hill Construction, Smart Market Report, 2008)
- According to the National Association of Realtors, 88 percent of home buyers are interested in purchasing a home with environmentally friendly features (National Association of Realtors, Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 2010)
- Over 150 national, regional and local builders are constructing new homes to meet the standards of the GreenPoint Rated label, including leading green builder, KB Homes, which has committed to building all of its homes in California to be GreenPoint Rated. Nonprofit builders such as Habitat for Humanity also build GreenPoint Rated homes.
“With so many homeowners and developers now building green, we could see the number of GreenPoint Rated homes in California double over the next five years,” said Tenaya Asan, Build It Green’s senior program manager for GreenPoint Rated.
About GreenPoint Rated
The GreenPoint Rated label provides homeowners the assurance that they are getting a healthier, more environmentally friendly home that is built to a high standard. GreenPoint Rated is overseen by Build It Green, a non-profit organization that seeks to promote healthy, energy- and resource-efficient homes in California. Learn more at GreenPointRated.com.