| Green Mortgages |
| With an Energy Efficient Mortgage, lenders will take into account lower monthly utility costs and qualify a buyer for a higher monthly mortgage payment and may also be willing to finance energy efficient home improvements into the mortgage. Source: CNN Money |
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| Database of State incentives for renewable and efficiency |
| DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Established in 1995, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the NC Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Incentives offered in PA |
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| ConsumerEnergyCenter.org |
| Find the latest information about energy resources and how to use them wisely in our home, work and vehicles. |
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| What is a HERS Rating? |
| A home energy rating involves an analysis of a home’s construction plans and on-site inspections. Based on the home’s plans, the Home Energy Rater uses an energy efficiency software package to perform an energy analysis of the home’s design. This analysis yields a projected, pre-construction HERS Index. Upon completion of the plan review, the rater will work with the builder to identify the energy efficiency improvements needed to ensure the house will meet ENERGY STAR performance guidelines. The rater then conducts on-site inspections, typically including a blower door test (to test the leakiness of the house) and a duct test (to test the leakiness of the ducts). Results of these tests, along with inputs derived from the plan review, are used to generate the HERS Index score for the home. |
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| State and Local Programs |
| • DSIRE: Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency |
| • EPA: Green Building |
| • Special Offers and Rebates from ENERGY STAR Partners |
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| Greenwashing |
| In today’s marketing frenzy to attract consumers with “green” products and programs sometimes claims are made without verifiable positive effects on the environment. Sometimes companies will make vague or broad comments about their product being good for the environment without the impact being expressed. It is important not to be to general when marketing green elements of a home. To say a home is green when it has only one or two green features would be an example of greenwashing. Stick to the facts. What are the appliance ratings, what specific energy efficient features does the building or home have, etc. |
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| National Green Building Program |
| The National Green Building Standard is the first residential green building rating system to undergo the full consensus process and receive American National Standards Institute approval. The four threshold levels - Bronze, Silver, Gold and Emerald - allow builders to achieve entry-level green building, or the highest level of sustainable "green" building incorporating energy savings of 60 percent or more. Single-family & multi-unit homes, residential remodeling projects and site developments are all covered in the Standard. |
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| U.S. Green Building Council |
| • Non-profit organization with 78 regional USGBC chapters nationwide that provides project rating systems and educational programs on green design, construction and operations for professionals from all sectors of the building industry. |
| • Administers the LEED® Green Building Rating System™ |
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| National Association of Home Builders |
| NAHB sponsors the NAHB National Green Building Conference, the NAHB National Green Building Awards and provides information and education on sustainable home building using renewable materials prudently to conserve energy and environmental resources. |
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| Green Building Program |
| The National Green Building Program offers several components to help builders, remodelers, home building associations and homeowners, including: the ANSI approved ICC-700-2008 National Green Building Standard, the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, the yearly National Green Building Conference, the National Green Building Certification, the Certified Green Professional designation, national education programs and the NAHB National Green Building Awards. |
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| Pennsylvania Loan Programs for Renewable Energy |
| One source of information about various loan programs available in PA. |
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| Financial Incentives for Using Renewable and Energy Efficient Products |
| Grant, rebate and loan programs available in PA. |
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| Funding for Green Building Projects |
| The website includes a summary of available incentives for specific types of green building projects. Many varied sources of financing, tax incentives, grants and foundation programs exist to encourage the development and renovation of green buildings. Some of these are geographically targeted, while others are specific to certain constituencies such as business, non-profit and/or government. Still others are geared towards a particular industry or green building use. |
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| GreenBuildingAdvisor.com |
| Basics about going green, a blog on green issues, green homes, product guide of green products and strategies for applying green principals in a home. |
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| BuildingGreen.com |
| BuildingGreen is an independent company committed to providing accurate, unbiased and timely information designed to help building-industry professionals and policy makers improve the environmental performance and reduce the adverse impacts of buildings. |
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| Certifications: |
| LEED |
| Overview |
| • U.S. Green Building Council’s overview page on LEED |
| • LEED is an internationally recognized certification system that measures how well a building or community performs in regard to green building |
| • LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions |
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| LEED, Version 3 |
| • Latest version of LEED |
| • Went into effect June 27, 2009 |
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| Green Building Certification Institute |
| GBCI provides third-party project certification and professional credentials |
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| Green Building Alliance Information on LEED |
| • Green Building Alliance (GBA) overview of LEED |
| • GBA is a non-profit advocate for green building based in western Pennsylvania |
| • GBA page on getting started with a LEED project, including: registering your project for LEED certification, hiring LEED-accredited professionals and finding green building product |
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| Green Advantage® Certification |
| • Green Advantage® Certification is designed to be a non-competitive, complementary offering that supports LEED Accreditation. |
| • A strong supporter of The U.S. Green Building Council® and USGBC Chapters. |
| • Intended primarily for individuals working within the construction industry - such as contractors, subcontractors and tradespeople. |
| • Recommended as an additional offering for developers, architects, engineers and designers who wish to be both LEED Accredited and Green Advantage Certified. |
| • Has partnered with Delaware Valley Green Building Council and University of Philadelphia to develop training programs. |
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| Certified Green Professional (NAHB) |
| National Association of Home Builders certification for individual building professionals |
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| National Green Building Certification (NAHB) |
| • National Association of Home Builders certification for building projects |
| • Based on the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines and the ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard™. |
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| Green Globes™ |
| • Project certification system administered by the Green Building Initiative™ (GBI) that was modeled after the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines. |
| • The GBI is a non-profit organization whose mission 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 for residential and commercial construction. |
| • Provides certification in the design, construction and/or operation of commercial buildings based on third-party assessment. |