Southern Energy Management (SEM), a sustainable energy company based in North Carolina, has launched ecoHOME program, a new option for builders to construct new energy efficient homes.
The main objective of the ecoHOME program is to make procedural requirements simpler and maximize the energy efficiency, comfort and health of a home.
For several years, builders have been shifting to various programs that are becoming more specialized and more complicated. The building performance team at SEM employs a better builder-friendly procedure that unites the RESNET Home Energy Rating System (HERS) with reasonable indoor air quality, water efficiency and energy efficiency requirements. When a HERS rater finds out that the home meets the program requirements (normally a score of 75 or lower), an ecoHOME certificate is offered by the rater to the builder. This certificate can be used by the builder to sell the house to potential buyers. Through this approach, builders will have the freedom to apply efficiency strategies that are best suited for their specific houses.
Since its implementation in April 2012, over 100 houses in North Carolina have received ecoHOME certifications. Primarily, SEM provided the ecoHOME program as a beta test for one production builder and five local custom homebuilders. When the company received an extremely positive response, it decided to offer the program for all builders.
Michael Peaden, Building Performance Operations Director at SEM, noted that builders wish to prove to their clients that a home will aid them save money on utility bills and, simultaneously, they do not like to strictly adhere with a long list of rigid checklist items. By constructing ecoHOME-certified homes, builders can achieve the efficiency standards without strictly complying with the checklist requirements, concluded Peaden.
Source: http://www.southern-energy.com/
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