Are you making any resolutions for the New Year? If saving money is on your list of things to do for 2011, we have some suggestions, PLUS these ideas will help you "green up" your home saving resources and adding to your quality of life.
This list includes very easy things that you can start doing on January 1 to save energy and go green. These include letting the sun shine in your home on cold days, setting your home computer to "sleep mode" or turn it off when not in use, and taking off your shoes before you enter your home.
Looking to save more? We have bigger suggestions, too. Of course, before you tackle any of the larger items on the list, we suggest you have a home energy audit performed on your home. This simple scientific test will pinpoint the energy-stealing culprits in your home and help you spend your repair budget on fixing the right things.
See a list of our members at www.columbiagreenbuilders.com to find home energy auditors and a variety of local green-minded professionals to help you green your current home.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
New Energy Efficient Home Tax Credit Renewed, Extended
With the two-year extension of all of the 2001 and 2003 Bush-era tax cuts as its centerpiece, Congress last week approved a major tax-cut package negotiated by President Obama and top Senate Republicans that is designed to provide tax relief for all working Americans and spur job growth.
H.R. 4853 — The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 — cleared the Senate by an overwhelming 81-to-19 margin on Dec. 15 and was approved by the House a day later by a vote of 277 to 148. The President sign the bill into law on Dec. 17.
For builders and developers considering building energy-efficient homes, this new law brings good news.
The New Energy Efficient Home Tax Credit (45L credit) for 2010 was renewed and extended it through the end of 2011. The section 45L tax credit is the only federal incentive available for efficiency in new home construction; about 10% of all new homes sold in 2009 qualified. The program provides $2,000 tax credits to builders and developers for the construction and sale of homes that achieve a 50% reduction in their energy consumption.
** The credit was renewed retroactively, so builders may be able to take advantage for Green Certified homes built this past year.
Click here to see more key points of the new law.
H.R. 4853 — The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 — cleared the Senate by an overwhelming 81-to-19 margin on Dec. 15 and was approved by the House a day later by a vote of 277 to 148. The President sign the bill into law on Dec. 17.
For builders and developers considering building energy-efficient homes, this new law brings good news.
The New Energy Efficient Home Tax Credit (45L credit) for 2010 was renewed and extended it through the end of 2011. The section 45L tax credit is the only federal incentive available for efficiency in new home construction; about 10% of all new homes sold in 2009 qualified. The program provides $2,000 tax credits to builders and developers for the construction and sale of homes that achieve a 50% reduction in their energy consumption.
** The credit was renewed retroactively, so builders may be able to take advantage for Green Certified homes built this past year.
Click here to see more key points of the new law.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Ask the Right Questions When Buying or Building
The most common question a potential client asks a home builder is “How much do you build per square foot?” Without getting into the endless questions a builder must ask to give a somewhat accurate answer to the question, they should be asking “How much does it cost to live in the home?” There are builders out there who will build a home for a very low cost per square foot, but the home will cost more per day to operate than another home built at a higher cost per square foot.
When looking to build a home, you must look at all of the factors that go into a home and not just dollars per square foot. Yes, it is important to get as much square foot as you can afford but ignoring the operating costs will leave you in a worse financial situation than you planned.
Let’s look at some (make believe) numbers. If you were to build a 2000 square foot home for $85 per square foot your contract price would be $170,000. The same house at $100 per square foot would be $200,000 – a $30,000 difference. Let’s say that the utility bills (electric/gas/water/sewer) were an average of $120 less in the more expensive home, this home would have a savings of $43,200 over 30 years.
Numbers aside, the comfort level, durability, improved air quality all would be better in the more expensive home. Funny how these questions never come up in the initial conversations of a custom home. Over time these are really the most important questions to consider.
Home building is an ever evolving industry that is driven by consumer selection. Right now the most popular question is “how much per square foot,” but with the information age upon us there is a channel out there for every interest. Soon consumers will understand that the performance of a home over time will be a better measure of value and start asking about the operating costs.
For those builders on the front edge of this technology, there is a report card on every home they build. It is the HERS score and it is posted on the electrical box of every home that is built using the current building science. I encourage you to ask about this with your next builder or renovator and see if they are willing to measure how good their homes perform.
- Submitted by Stan O'Brien, CGP of Paradime Construction, Inc. Editor's Note: In addition to the HERS Score, the DOE is testing a new 1 - 10 Scorecard for homes and our state is a test site. More info. is on this blog and more is sure to come.
When looking to build a home, you must look at all of the factors that go into a home and not just dollars per square foot. Yes, it is important to get as much square foot as you can afford but ignoring the operating costs will leave you in a worse financial situation than you planned.
Let’s look at some (make believe) numbers. If you were to build a 2000 square foot home for $85 per square foot your contract price would be $170,000. The same house at $100 per square foot would be $200,000 – a $30,000 difference. Let’s say that the utility bills (electric/gas/water/sewer) were an average of $120 less in the more expensive home, this home would have a savings of $43,200 over 30 years.
Numbers aside, the comfort level, durability, improved air quality all would be better in the more expensive home. Funny how these questions never come up in the initial conversations of a custom home. Over time these are really the most important questions to consider.
Home building is an ever evolving industry that is driven by consumer selection. Right now the most popular question is “how much per square foot,” but with the information age upon us there is a channel out there for every interest. Soon consumers will understand that the performance of a home over time will be a better measure of value and start asking about the operating costs.
For those builders on the front edge of this technology, there is a report card on every home they build. It is the HERS score and it is posted on the electrical box of every home that is built using the current building science. I encourage you to ask about this with your next builder or renovator and see if they are willing to measure how good their homes perform.
- Submitted by Stan O'Brien, CGP of Paradime Construction, Inc. Editor's Note: In addition to the HERS Score, the DOE is testing a new 1 - 10 Scorecard for homes and our state is a test site. More info. is on this blog and more is sure to come.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Low Impact Land Development/Sustainable Construction course
The Low Impact Land Development/Sustainable Construction certificate is a two-semester program that addresses the following: principles of low impact development including best management practices (BMP) for development conservation, impact and control of storm water runoff and non-point source pollution, computer design for residential and commercial land use applications, concepts of holistic construction, alternative transportation options, water conservation, environmental building design, and the LEED rating system for the civil engineering aspects of development project."
Deadline for registration is extended to December 10th, and classes start January 5, 2011. Contact Tim Ray, CET Academic Program Coordinator, Engineering Technology at 790-7521 or e-mail rayt@midlandstech.edu.
Deadline for registration is extended to December 10th, and classes start January 5, 2011. Contact Tim Ray, CET Academic Program Coordinator, Engineering Technology at 790-7521 or e-mail rayt@midlandstech.edu.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Work begins on updating National Green Building Standard for 2012 Edition
The NAHB Research Center is preparing to start work on the 2012 edition of the National Green Building Standard.
Originally developed in 2007-2008 by NAHB and the International Code Council, the 2008 National Green Building Standard was approved by the American National Standards Institute in January 2009, making it the first point-based rating system for green residential construction, remodeling and land development to be approved by ANSI.
As an ANSI-approved standard, the document is subject to periodic updates so that advances in building codes, technology and other developments can be incorporated into it.
First, the NAHB Research Center issued its call for committee members on Nov. 15. The consensus committee that develops the standard will include government officials, advocacy groups, home builders, product manufacturers and other affected industry stakeholders in residential construction.
Those who would like to serve on the consensus committee must submit their applications online by Jan. 4, 2011.
At the same time, the NAHB Research Center will announce its call for proposed changes to the 2008 edition of the standard. Individuals and groups can submit their proposals online by Jan. 31, 2011.
For more information, please visit this website.
Originally developed in 2007-2008 by NAHB and the International Code Council, the 2008 National Green Building Standard was approved by the American National Standards Institute in January 2009, making it the first point-based rating system for green residential construction, remodeling and land development to be approved by ANSI.
As an ANSI-approved standard, the document is subject to periodic updates so that advances in building codes, technology and other developments can be incorporated into it.
First, the NAHB Research Center issued its call for committee members on Nov. 15. The consensus committee that develops the standard will include government officials, advocacy groups, home builders, product manufacturers and other affected industry stakeholders in residential construction.
Those who would like to serve on the consensus committee must submit their applications online by Jan. 4, 2011.
At the same time, the NAHB Research Center will announce its call for proposed changes to the 2008 edition of the standard. Individuals and groups can submit their proposals online by Jan. 31, 2011.
For more information, please visit this website.
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