News

SOUTHERN NEVADA GREEN BUILDING PARTNERSHIP GREEN BUILDING NEWS  

October 18, 2006

Contact: Monica Caruso, (702) 794-0117, monica@snhba.com; or
Noelle Overly, (312) 988-2109, noverly@thegbi.org  

      
Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership Unveils “Green Building” Requirements Program
Guidelines Will Direct Environmentally Sensitive New-Home Construction

   The Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership unveiled today the program requirements that will guide home builders who want to construct more environmentally sensitive production housing in the community.

  The Green Building Partnership, which is a joint effort of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association and the Green Building Initiative of Portland, Ore., spent more than a year researching and developing the requirements of the voluntary program to direct the efficient use of resources, materials, energy and water; and maximize the indoor environmental quality in new housing.

  Also, the requirements include provisions for educating homeowners about the operation and maintenance of their “green” home.

   Meanwhile, the Las Vegas City Council today adopted a Green Building Program, which incorporates the Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership program as the residential-construction component of the city’s green effort. On hand for the adoption, and giving remarks in support of the program, were Irene Porter, the executive director of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, and Kelly O’Brien, the director of residential programs for the Green Building Initiative.

   “The Southern Nevada Home Builders Association is very pleased with the effort that has gone into developing a viable green building program for new-home construction,” Porter said. “This has been a collaborative partnership between many entities, including our home builders, the utility companies, other companies involved in energy and environmental conservation and the municipalities like the city of Las Vegas.”

   Porter said it’s likely that new-home shoppers will begin to see certified green-built production housing in Southern Nevada by late 2007.

   “We are thrilled by the amount of support given to us by the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association and the city of Las Vegas,” O’Brien said. “We are proud to introduce this innovative green building program as the first of its kind in Southern Nevada.”

   The 10-page program requirements are based on the National Association of Home Builders’ Model Green Home Building Guidelines, but were customized to meet the special conditions of the Southern Nevada environment. The NAHB guidelines were developed by a stakeholder group of nearly 60 builders, environmentalists, government agencies and product manufacturers, and provide a baseline for practical green building approaches for the residential construction industry in Southern Nevada.

  The local program requirements were developed by the Green Building Committee of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association and the Green Building Initiative. The committee has been working on development of the program for more than a year; it was unveiled in June 2005.

  The green building trend goes beyond just saving the environment. Owners of green homes reap various benefits, including utility savings, improved indoor air quality and less overall maintenance.

   “The practice of green building aims to use renewable resources and maximize the efficient use of construction materials,” said Porter. “Also, with energy costs continuing to rise, everyone wants to save money on monthly utility bills,” she said. “When you also factor in improved indoor air quality, you really begin to see the true value of a green home.”

THE GUIDELINES
   Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to green building, the Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership program requirements are based on fundamental green building principles, including, but not limited to the following:

Resource Efficiency:

• Reduce the quantity of materials and waste by creating a detailed framing plan and detailed material takeoffs. Provide on onsite cut list for all framing and sheathing materials.
• Enhance durability and reduce maintenance by providing a covered primary entrance (awnings, covered porch); install drip edge at eave and gable roof ends; install gutter and downspout system to divert water a minimum of two feet away from foundation.
• Use recycled content materials, such as oriented strand board, and renewable materials, such as soy-based insulation, bamboo and other wood-based products.
• Develop and implement a construction and demolition waste management plan that is posted at the jobsite.

Energy Efficiency:

• The home must be equivalent to, or greater than, 15 percent above the current locally adopted International Energy Conservation Code or local energy code, whichever is more stringent.

Water Efficiency:

• Front yard must have water-smart landscaping; no turf.
• Homes must include high-efficiency indoor plumbing fixtures; there are maximum flow requirements for the faucets and fixtures.
• All air conditioning systems must be non-evaporative systems with zero net consumptive water use.
• Includes elements of Water Smart Home, a water-efficiency program of the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association.

Indoor Environmental Quality:

• Minimize potential sources of pollutants by installing direct-vent, sealed-combustion gas fireplace, sealed wood fireplace or sealed woodstove, or, don’t install fireplaces or woodstoves.
• Ensure particleboard, medium-density fiberboard and hardwood plywood substrates are certified to low formaldehyde emission standards; composite wood/agrifiber panel products must either contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins or must be third-party certified for low formaldehyde emissions
• Install carpet and padding that hold “Green Label” from Carpet and Rug Institute’s indoor air quality testing program or meet equivalent thresholds verified by a third party.
• Manage potential pollutants generated in the home by providing mechanical exhaust fan to the outside kitchen range, bath and laundry; there are also mechanical ventilation requirements for the bedrooms.

  The Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership will provide technical expertise to help participating builders use the guidelines; administer an impartial third-party inspection and verification that the program guidelines have been met; and issue certification that a home has been constructed to the green building requirements.

   For more information about the Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership and the benefits of green building, visit www.thegbi.org/southernnevada, or call (702) 794-0117.

ABOUT THE SOUTHERN NEVADA HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION:  The Southern Nevada Home Builders Association is the oldest and largest local trade organization representing the residential construction industry with some 700 members working in all facets of the homebuilding industry. SNHBA members build 90 percent of the new housing constructed annually in Southern Nevada. It is an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association founded in 1942 to enhance the climate for housing and the building industry. NAHB is made up of 850 state and local associations. There’s more about the association at www.snhba.com.

ABOUT THE GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE:  The mission of the Green Building Initiative is to accelerate the adoption of building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings by promoting credible and practical green building approaches.  A not-for-profit education initiative, the GBI is supported by a broad cross section of organizations and individuals with an interest in residential and commercial construction.  For more information on the Green Building Initiative, please visit www.thegbi.org.
    

###