Anyone who talks about green building most likely has a unique definition of what it means. Hopefully, all ideas include elements of sustainability, energy efficiency and natural-resource conservation. In the absence of a universally approved definition of green, certification programs have emerged to prevent greenwashing, and to provide a marketing edge for builders who are willing to make human health and environmental sustainability top priorities. In Asheville, there are three main certification programs for green building: Energy Star Homes, N.C. HealthyBuilt Homes and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes.

Energy Star is a household name for appliances, but what is an Energy Star home? As with Energy Star appliances, the standards are created by the National Environmental Protection Agency and inspected by a third party. Energy Star homes go beyond just efficient appliances: Each house is built to be at least 15 percent more energy efficient than if the same home were built to code. This standard is achieved through a combination of well-installed and efficient insulation, HVAC equipment, lighting, water heaters and windows. Each home is first computer-modeled to determine its energy usage, then inspected by a nationally trained Home Energy Rater to ensure the home will perform as planned. Energy Star homes are more comfortable, durable and energy efficient. An added bonus: Progress Energy and Duke Energy currently offer utility-rate discounts for certified Energy Star homes. Additionally, Progress Energy, as of Dec. 1, 2008, offers a $400 rebate for any Energy Star-certified home with a 14 SEER or greater heat pump. The city of Asheville offers an additional $100 permit-fee rebate for Energy Star homes.

The N.C. HealthyBuilt Homes Program was created in 2004 through a collaboration between the N.C. State Energy Office, the N.C. Solar Center and building professionals throughout the state. This program is administered locally by the WNC Green Building Council. Every HealthyBuilt home is also required to be a certified Energy Star home, but the program goes above and beyond energy efficiency. HealthyBuilt homes start with a menu of items, divided into seven sections: site (from erosion control to native plants); water (from low-flow fixtures to rain gardens); building envelope (insulation and framing); comfort systems (from heat pumps to geothermal systems); appliances, lighting and renewables (CFLS to solar hot-water systems), indoor air quality (from moisture resistance to nontoxic paints) and materials (from recycling to bamboo). Each home must attain a certain number of points in each section to qualify for the certification. In this way, builders are required to approach and improve all aspects of environmentally friendly construction. These homes are then inspected to make sure each of the goals is actually achieved. Certified HealthyBuilt homes vary in style and price range, from alternative to conventional, high-end to affordable. With only four years since its inception, there are approximately 220 HealthyBuilt homes certified, and 700 currently under construction in WNC. Current financial incentives (in addition to the Energy Star incentives) include a $100 permit-fee rebate from the city of Asheville. If you are in the town of Black Mountain, you are eligible for a $500 rebate if the house is certified at the silver level.

LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a green-building rating system created by the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED Rating System is a nationally recognized standard for green building, but has until recently primarily focused on commercial construction (categorized as new, existing and interiors). After years of development, pilot runs and review, LEED for Homes was launched in November 2007. LEED for Homes is a voluntary rating system, similar to the statewide N.C. HealthyBuilt Homes program. As with N.C. HealthyBuilt certification, Energy Star is a prerequisite, and third-party inspections are required. The WNC Green Building Council currently works with the Southface Energy Institute in Atlanta to offer LEED for Homes certification services for homes in WNC. As of November 2008, 1,078 homes were certified across the U.S. There is currently one certified LEED home in WNC and six under construction. The program is less rigorous than HealthyBuilt in some ways and more rigorous in other ways; currently, the cost and documentation required is significantly greater, but it does offer the advantage of national marketing recognition.

For more information about the certification programs:
• http://www.EnergyStar.gov
• http://www.HealthyBuiltAsheville.org
• http://www.usgbc.org

Maggie Leslie is program director of the WNC Green Building Council. She can be reached at or at (828) 254-1995.