No doubt the new home market presents opportunity for innovation and lifecycle advantages, but for pure and immediate results, the exiting stock is what can really make a difference in energy and resource savings. Remember, too, that remodeling is by its very nature ‘green’. We haven’t created a new footprint nor created a new demand on services nor taken another piece of land off the market, which is not a renewable resource.

Challenges abound; how do you pay for green remodeling? How do you recapture the investment in a population that changes houses more often than I change wives? In a market where affordability is such an important issue, how do we offer these options so that everyone can take advantage of them? What is the best way to make green changes more affordable, and does regulation play a role in that? Is there a sensible way to provide green remodeling incentives?

There are a host of things we can do to the existing stock that make sense, are economically viable, and not only improve performance but improve the inherent value of a home. Productive green remodeling projects include:

• Installing higher performing doors and windows
• Supplementing insulation in attics and wall systems
• Using long-lasting floor options
• Installing more efficient HVAC systems
• Reusing and recycling construction waste. (Note that 85-90% of waste generated from a remodeling project has the potential to be recycled, how do we promote and create demand for recycling?)
• Replacing with more efficient and longer lasting lighting, such as compact fluorescents. (Here’s a quick fact: If every incandescent in the country were changed to a CFL, we’d have an immediate 20% reduction in greenhouse gases.)

The forthcoming green remodeling components of the standard are filled with opportunities to achieve the ‘green’ label, addressing all areas, starting with:

• planning
• waste disposal
• energy use
• appliances
• plumbing fixtures
• doors
• windows
• air quality
• moisture control
• sealing vulnerable openings
• benchmarking energy usage
• rewarding savings
• roof overhangs
• site impact (building site and orientation) considerations
• efficient HVAC equipment with programmable thermostats
• passive cooling
• solar water features
• gray water use
• friendlier paints and coatings

The standard establishes a lower baseline for homes with four levels of energy and water efficiency improvements earning green certification: Bronze (25% savings), Silver (50%), Gold (75%), Emerald (100%). Every area of remodeling includes innovative methods of earning points by conserving resources, such as:

• Landscaping to conserve water and match the natural environment
• ENERGY STAR certified cool roofs or green (landscaped) roofing systems
• Sealing ducts and other spaces to conserve energy
• Improving the building envelope to reduce energy and air transfer
• Installing programmable thermostats
• Adding overhangs or landscaping to provide shade on the home
• Using solar heating, for HVAC and/or water heating
• Replacing old appliances with efficient models

And here’s another important but often overlooked part of green remodeling: an owner’s or maintenance manual that lists how, why, and where to go for information, upkeep, and related issues. It’s a bit funny — but nobody’s laughing — we have pages and pages of manuals for everything else; you have to have a license to drive a car, but there’s no manual for your home, no qualifications (other than financial) to own one. We’re probably no more qualified to properly care for and maintain our home just because we own one than we are to overhaul our automobile just because we have a license to drive. So making the information available regarding efficiency, indoor air quality, environmental impact, and similar subjects really is an important part of this program.

The green remodeling standards will be comprehensive with many more details and options for everyone. Green remodeling is possible and we can’t start any sooner than right now.

Greg Miedema, CGR, CGB, CAPS, is president of Dakota Builders in Tucson, Ariz. He is the founder of his local Remodelers Council, a member of the NAHB Remodelersl Board of Trustees and served as the chairman of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA), the first remodeler to chair the association. The SAHBA also named Dakota Builders, Inc. the Remodeler of the Year in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2003. For more information, e-mail Miedema, or visit the Dakota Builders Web site at www.dakotabuildersinc.com.

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