The High Performance Building Council (HPBC) of the Triangle presents the 2017 Green Home Tour April 29 – 30 and May 6 – 7, noon – 5:00 pm, at new green certified homes throughout the area. In its 12^th year of inviting the public to view green building practices and materials, this free self-guided HPBC event showcases a variety of excellent examples of green home construction at various levels of national certification: National Green Building Standard, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (also available at an international certification level), EcoSelect, and/or ENERGY STAR^®. Each home in the tour is inspected and third-party verified, making sure each home meets the minimum certification requirements established by its specified program. The High Performance Building Council of the Triangle is a joint council of the Home Builders Associations (HBAs) of Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties and of Raleigh-Wake County.

With today’s home buyers looking for healthy, efficient, cost-effective homes, high performance builders are poised to fulfill these consumer needs. The Tour showcases a diverse collection of certified high performance new homes in this annual open house, with a building professional onsite at each home to answer questions and present the home’s high performance features. The tour homes may be in various stages of construction or owner-occupied. This is a unique opportunity to see first-hand some of the innovative high performance building practices at work in our area. Homes in this year’s tour are certified in at least one of the following programs:

The National Green Building Standard (NGBS) is the only green building rating system for homes approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), as an American National Standard. NGBS consists of four certification performance levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Emerald. Requires increasingly higher point thresholds in all categories for a home to reach the next level of certification.

Leadership in Energy and Efficient Design (LEED) certification provides independent verification of a building or neighborhood’s green features, allowing for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of resource-efficient, high-performing, healthy, cost-effective buildings. LEED is the triple bottom line in action, benefitting people, planet and profit. LEED consists of four certification performance levels: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Requires increasingly higher point thresholds for a home to reach the next level of certification.

EcoSelect homes require meeting or exceeding straightforward standards designed to measurably improve energy efficiency. EcoSelect establishes a solid foundation and works toward reducing the home’s energy use while incorporating and promoting the integration of indoor air quality and water efficiency features.

ENERGY STAR® certified homes must meet the strict requirements set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These homes earn the ENERGY STAR® label by delivering better quality, better comfort, and better durability when compared to typical new homes.

“I encourage you to visit the homes participating in this year’s Triangle Green Home Tour,” says Michele Myers, 2017 HPBC Chair. “Talking with the builders and representatives and viewing the advanced building practices and materials will give you a greater appreciation of what is involved in the construction requirements of the various high performance programs. Homes certified to those superior standards result in healthier, more comfortable, energy efficient and life cycle cost effective homes.”

The Triangle has long been recognized as a leader in building innovative, high-performance, green homes. According to Home Innovation Research Labs, North Carolina was ranked first in the country in the number of NGBS Green Certified single-family homes, and third in the number of NGBS Green Certified multifamily homes in 2016.”

Green Home Tour guidebooks are available at all area Harris Teeter and Kroger stores, HBA offices, and area Realtor^® Association offices. For more information about the Tour, call (919) 493-8899 or visit www.TriangleGreenHomeTour.com, #TriangleGreenHomeTour, and www.facebook.com/GreenHomesTriangle/.