But it doesn't necessarily have to be your only choice. The Environments For Living program is designed to be complementary with other certification initiatives. At the local and national levels, there are other energy- and green-building initiatives you may want to explore. Depending on your specific interests, you may want to include one or more of these other certification programs in your plans. We can help you do that.
Please click here to learn more about EPA Energy Star.
Please click here to learn more about the US DOE's Building America program.
Our program is uniquely designed to be complementary with green building programs at the local and national level. Click here to learn more.
Builders who want to leverage the power of the GE brand can choose to participate in the ecomagination Homebuilder Program. Click here to learn more.
BEYOND is a BASF initiative that uses building science principles and innovative chemistry to drive positive change and accelerate the adoption of affordable, sustainable, high-performance construction. Click here to learn more.
The Residential Energy Services Network or RESNET is a recognized national standards-making body for building energy efficiency rating and certification systems in the United States. Click here to learn more.
Homes built to the current Environments For Living® program requirements may qualify for the widely recognized ENERGY STAR® label. By using less energy for heating, cooling, and water heating, ENERGY STAR certified homes deliver approximately 20% savings on annual utility bills. Over the 7 to 8 years that a typical family lives in a home, you can save thousands of dollars in maintenance cost. At all levels, the Environments For Living program includes the four "must have" components of ENERGY STAR — air sealing and insulation that performs, ducts that prevent leakage, advanced windows and independent inspection and testing.
In addition, all levels of the Environments For Living program include a number of the elements included in the ENERGY STAR Indoor Air Package, including certain moisture management and HVAC requirements, filtered fresh air ventilation, CO detectors and other features. We can easily assist builders interested in achieving this new certification from the EPA.
Learn more about EPA ENERGY STAR
Learn more about EPA ENERGY STAR for Homes Version 3.0
and 3.1.
ENERGY STAR® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Environments For Living® program has a long association with the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America® initiative, a private/public partnership that combines industry leadership with the Department of Energy's technical capabilities to act as a catalyst for change in the home-building industry. The Environments For Living program has been an active participant in the Building America program's Building Science consortium, and the Platinum energy level of the program was specifically designed to meet the performance metrics of the Building America program.
In February 2008, the Department of Energy launched a new "Builders Challenge" initiative, which provides marketing and technical incentives to builders who commit to building homes with a 70 or better rating on the program's EnergySmart Home Scale, or E-Scale. The Platinum energy level of the Environments For Living program meets the requirements to participate in the "Builders Challenge." The Environments For Living team has many years of experience assisting builders who want to add this impressive label to their new homes.
Although there are many definitions of "green building," one thing most people agree on is that it all starts with energy efficiency. The largest single source of energy consumption in America today is heating and cooling buildings*. According to the EPA, a typical home can cause twice the greenhouse gas emissions of the typical car? In short, an energy efficient home may be the greenest thing that anyone can do to make a difference.
Because the Environments For Living® program integrates proven principles of building science, there are additional green benefits that result from meeting the program's requirements. This includes durability associated with moisture management and other program features, and indoor environmental quality associated with management of air flows, filtered fresh air ventilation, and many other program requirements.
However, TopBuild Home Services' Environments For Living Certified Green program adds even more green benefits. Builders who choose this program also can offer indoor water conservation, lighting and appliance efficiency, plus paint, carpet, and cabinetry that emit low levels of VOC's and advanced filtration for additional indoor environmental quality benefits.
The Environments For Living Certified Green program includes requirements in five of the six primary components of green building initiatives — energy efficiency, resource/material efficiency, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and homeowner education. The one green building component not addressed in our program — because it is prescriptive and not a points-based checklist program — is site planning.
This means builders who choose the Environments For Living Certified Green program can add site planning and easily meet the requirements of most local green building programs and/or a national program such as the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Model Green Home Building Guidelines. Builders who wish to achieve one of those certifications, or the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Homes program, are invited to contact our staff to determine how they can best fulfill the requirements of Environments For Living Certified Green program, plus the local or national certification of their choice.
A collaboration of GE and TopBuild Home Services, the ecomagination Homebuilder Program is an option under the Environments For Living Certified Green program. Builders may choose this option to take advantage of the power of the GE brand and market their homes or communities as "inspired by ecomagination."
The Environments For Living Certified Green program, assists builders in delivering homes that provide at least 20 percent in household energy savings, a 20-percent reduction in indoor water consumption, and 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions associated with the home.
The ecomagination Homebuilder Program incorporates the GE Nucleus energy manager with Brillion technology - an innovative new data storage device designed to communicate with a smart meter*, providing secure information about estimated household electricity consumption and costs.**
All of the electricity data gathered by Nucleus energy manager is displayed in a user-friendly, customizable computer interface. Your home PC can become an energy consumption dashboard, allowing you to view your electricity use in near real time by updating the data displayed every 15 seconds. You can also track your usage trends over time, and make smarter, cost-saving decisions. See our Program Details for more information about the ecomagination Homebuilder Program as an option within the Environments For Living Certified Green program.
* AMI Zigbee® Smart Energy meter required. Consult your local electricity provider to determine if the technology is available in your area.
**As reported to your utility in kilowatt hours (kWh). Estimates of cost will vary from your actual bill because it does not include the taxes, surcharges and recovery fees added by your utility when it calculates your monthly bill.
Download our Program Requirements (.pdf 4.5mb)
The BEYOND Applied Building Science program is an initiative of the BASF Center for Building Excellence in North America that offers consulting, plan reviews and other services to assist builders in constructing homes that outperform conventional code-built homes. The program is offered in collaboration with TopBuild Home Services and its Environments For Living program, which provides testing and certification services for the BEYOND requirements, as well as home buyer marketing benefits including five-year limited guarantees* on heating and cooling energy use and comfort.
Every home built to the BEYOND requirements must achieve a Home Energy Rating System (HERS®) Index score of 50 or lower, which means it requires at least 50 percent less energy than a conventional, code-built home. All homes must be tested for envelope and duct tightness and air pressure, and comply with specific measures to control bulk water and vapor. Special BASF points may be earned for use of high-performance products that contain BASF chemistry.
The Residential Energy Services Network or RESNET standards are recognized for:
The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index is the industry standard by which a home's energy efficiency is measured. It'€™s also the nationally recognized system for inspecting, testing and calculating a home's energy performance.
