The Department of Energy came to Denver this week, promoting its Builders Challenge initiative, which seeks to promote affordable, zero energy homes for all Americans by 2030.  Ed Pollock, the Residential Team Leader for the U.S. Department of Energy hosted the Builders Challenge tour at the EEBA Conference which featured two homes, including Sean Smith & Co.’s Wash Park Green LEED Certified Duplex in Denver’s Washington Park neighborhood and Ecofuture’s Solar Harvest House in Boulder.

Ed Pollock of the U.S. Department of Energy promotes the Builders Challenge alongside David Neiger and Laura Hutchings of Populus and Sean Smith of Sean Smith & Company (seen here in Builders Challenge-inspired t-shirts)

David Neiger, Principal at Populus Sustainable Design Consulting, led the EEBA conference tour through the high-performance energy features of the Wash Park duplex, which scored a 37 on the Builders Challenge E-Scale.  The E-Scale, which is a “miles per gallon” type rating for a home, is tied to the Home Energy Rating System Index Score, and denotes how the home performs compared to a typical home built to code.  A home must score below a 70 on the Builders Challenge E-Scale to be eligible for certification under the Department of Energy’s program.  In addition, the Builders Challenge program requires the implementation of greenbuilding best practices which address indoor air quality and durability management.

Following the Builders Challenge Tour, the Populus team joined Ed Pollock, Sean Smith, Eric Doub of Ecofutures and Tom Wade of Artistic Homes at a panel discussion focusing on zero energy homes and the goals of the Builders Challenge / Building America program.  Mr. Pollock began the panel presentation by discussing the Department of Energy’s Builders Challenge goal of an affordable zero energy home (or “Net Zero”) for all Americans by the year 2030.  In order to achieve these substantial increases in residential energy efficiency, it is essential that the building industry highlight the operational savings of a zero energy home, rather than merely focusing on the first costs of high-performance home features.

David Neiger of Populus presents to a group of industry professionals at the Department of Energy Builders Challenge EEBA Conference Home Tour

To date, the Builders Challenge program has certified a total of 1800 homes, with six homes scoring net zero or better on the E-Scale and with an average E-Scale score of 63.  While this represents only a tiny fraction of the homes built in the United States each year, the high-performance energy features of these 1800 homes results in an average cost savings of $1.6 million per year.

If you are a builder, developer or architect and would like to learn how you can pursue Builders Challenge certification for your next project, contact Populus Sustainable Design Consulting, a Partner in the Builders Challenge program, and we’ll walk you through the program requirements and the steps to certification.  Unlike some green home certification programs, there is no fee for registering your project in the Builders Challenge program, although there are costs associated with the third-party verification and energy rating that is required under the program.  In some cases, building an above-code performing home can qualify you for substantial rebates, incentives or tax credits.

Populus is a full service sustainable design consulting firm that focuses on high performance, net-zero and near-net-zero custom residential and multi-family projects.  Populus guides architects and builders through the requirements of mandatory green building codes and optional green home certification programs, providing HERS rating, LEED for Homes Green Rater services and LEED for Homes training.  Visit Populus at www.popboulder.com.

Populus recently had the opportunity to learn more about the work of Associates III, a Denver-based interior design firm that specializes in sustainable interiors that are beautiful, timeless and earth-friendly.

Associates III stands out for its long history of commitment to thoughtful, sustainable design – they’ve been “transforming interiors into home” for almost 40 years!  While the firm has an impressive resume of work throughout the Rocky Mountain region, they have worked on projects globally.  In fact, the firm was recently chosen by Andrew Martin International as one of the top 30 interior design firms in the world (for the fifth time in eight years).

Interested in learning more about sustainable residential interiors?  Associates III has gone the extra step with their commitment to green building and sustainable design, literally “writing the book” on sustainable interiors.  Associate III’s book, Sustainable Residential Interiors, is a green building resource guide for environmentally conscious designers.  It’s especially helpful as a guide to the specific green criteria to keep in mind when specifying materials for building components.

Populus looks forward to bringing you more information about this sustainable interior design firm in the future.

Populus is a full service sustainable design consulting firm that focuses on high performance, net-zero and near-net-zero custom residential and multi-family projects.  Populus guides architects and builders through the requirements of mandatory green building codes and optional green home certification programs, providing HERS rating, LEED for Homes Green Rater services and LEED for Homes training.  Visit Populus at www.popboulder.com.

Sean Smith & Co.’s Wash Park luxury duplex was recently featured as a case study in Eco Home Magazine.

LEED for Homes Gold Wash Park Duplex by Sean Smith & Company (photo copyright Ooms Photography)

This high-performance, green home pursued various green home certifications and was recently awarded LEED for Homes Gold Certification by the USGBC and Builders Challenge Certification by the Department of Energy.  The home is also labeled under the EPA’s Indoor Air Package (now called “Indoor airPLUS“) and Energy Star programs.

In addition, the home will be featured in the upcoming EEBA Conference Builder’s Challenge Tour on September 28th, led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Residential Building Technologies Team Leader, Ed Pollock.

Populus Sustainable Design Consulting provided consulting services, HERS rating / energy modeling and LEED for Homes™ Green Rater services for this upscale duplex in Denver’s Washington Park neighborhood.  The project, including its high-performance features, was also recently profiled in Colorado Expression magazine in the article, “Greened to Perfection.”

Look for more energy efficient, sustainably built, green homes from Sean Smith & Company in the future.

Populus is a full service sustainable design consulting firm that focuses on high performance, net-zero and near-net-zero custom residential and multi-family projects.  Populus guides architects and builders through the requirements of mandatory green building codes and optional green home certification programs, providing HERS rating, LEED for Homes Green Rater services and LEED for Homes training.  Visit Populus at www.popboulder.com.

Today, the luxury duplex at 233 & 235 South Washington Street, Denver was awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for achievement in green homebuilding and design.  LEED for Homes is a green home certification system for assuring homes are designed and built to be energy- and resource-efficient and healthy for occupants.  LEED certified homes complete a technically rigorous process that includes a home energy (HERS) rating and onsite inspections to verify that the home is built to be energy and water efficient, environmentally sound, and a healthier place to live.

The home was built by Sean Smith & Company, a Boulder-based construction firm, which is known for their expertise in building LEED homes.  Sean Smith of Sean Smith & Company is dedicated to building high-performance homes and believes that the LEED for Homes Rating System, with its focus on holistic design, provides the necessary tools to effectively achieve total system integration.

Populus Sustainable Design Consulting, a Boulder-based energy consulting firm, provided energy performance consulting, HERS rating and Green Rater services for the luxury duplex project.  “Without David Neiger of Populus, we would not have been able to achieve the efficiencies on this project that we did,” said Sean Smith of Sean Smith & Company, “David’s depth of knowledge goes beyond the simple requirements; he provides an understanding of the science and theories behind building performance-leading to a more efficient, more sustainable, and healthier building.”

Located within Denver’s trendy Wash Park neighborhood, 233 & 235 South Washington Street are within walking distance of public transportation, shops and other conveniences.  This upscale duplex incorporates numerous energy and water-saving technologies while maintaining superior indoor air quality.  Through the use of a fiberglass “blown-in-blanket” cavity insulation system, coupled with rigid exterior insulation, high-performance windows and open-cell foam ceiling insulation, this house dramatically reduces heat losses through the building assembly.  Further, at less than 0.01 natural air changes per hour, very little conditioned air is lost through leakage.  Because of the very “tight” construction, pre-conditioned, fresh ventilation air is provided continuously through the units’ heat recovery ventilation systems.   Finally, solar thermal collectors on the roof of each unit provide no-cost, carbon-free space and water heating.  With the addition of high-efficiency furnaces for those cloudy days, plus a solar photovoltaic array to offset electric demand, these duplex units are each more than 60% more efficient than a comparable, code-compliant home.  As a result of incorporating energy saving products and technologies, 233 & 235 South Washington have achieved a Home Energy Rating System score of 39 and 41 respectively, well beyond the efficiency required for ENERGY STAR certification.

“As a LEED certified home, 233 & 235 South Washington Street serve as a model of greener living for the entire community,” said Nate Kredich, Vice President of Residential Market Development for the U.S. Green Building Council. “The homes are at the national forefront of quality; and their example can help us all to live better by reducing our environmental footprint, cutting our utility bills, and coming home to a healthier place to live.”

In addition to achieving LEED for Homes Gold Certification and ENERGY STAR certification, both homes in this duplex have achieved certification in the the Department of Energy’s Builders Challenge program.

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About Sean Smith & Company

Sean Smith & Company, LLC is a full service General Contractor/Project Management firm serving the Greater Denver/Front Range Region.  To see detailed information on Sean Smith & Company’s LEED for Homes Gold Certified Wash Park Duplex, including systems-design, energy efficiency and finish details, please visit www.washparkgreen.com.

About Populus Sustainable Design Consulting

Populus is a full service sustainable design consulting firm that focuses on high performance, net-zero and near-net-zero custom residential and multi-family projects.  Populus guides architects and builders through the requirements of mandatory green building codes and optional green home certification programs, providing HERS rating, LEED for Homes Green Rater services and LEED for Homes training.  Visit Populus at www.popboulder.com.

About USGBC

The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Since USGBC’s founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 20,000 member companies and organizations and a comprehensive suite of LEED® green building certification systems. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations all sharing the Council’s commitment to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. For more information, please visit www.usgbc.org.

About LEED® for Homes

LEED® for Homes is a third-party certification system for building and designing high-performance green homes that are energy-and-resource-efficient and healthy for its occupants.  Developed and administered by USGBC, LEED for Homes awards points to projects in eight categories of environmental performance: Innovation & Design Process, Location & Linkages, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, and Awareness & Education. To date, more than 2,200 homes have been LEED-certified, and over 14,600 are registered and under development.  For more information, visit www.thegreenhomeguide.org.