15th Annual Triangle Green Home Tour Will be Virtual This Year
The High Performance Building Council (HPBC) of the Triangle presents the 2020 VIRTUAL High Performance Home Tour on April 25-26 and May 2-3. In its 15th year of inviting the public to view green building practices and materials, this year’s Tour will be virtual due to Covid-19. The online Tour will showcase 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, EcoSelect, and/or ENERGY STAR®. Each home entered in the Tour has been inspected and third-party verified to ensure the 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. This year’s Virtual Tour showcases a diverse collection of certified high performance new homes, with links for the public to ask questions and obtain answers. The Tour homes are in various stages of construction, and in some cases, 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. Requirements hold 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. Requirements hold 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.
“We invite you to enjoy this unique virtual experience that our team has put together,” says Clare Iannotta Daniel of Sherwin Williams, the 2020 High Performance Home Tour Committee Chair. “It’s our hope that viewing these homes and learning about our incredible builders provide a welcome distraction for you and your family. We encourage you to reach out to the builders featured to learn more about their building processes and the steps they take to meet the stringent certification requirements. Homes certified to our Tour standards are healthier, more energy efficient, and more comfortable for you and your family!”
The Triangle has long been recognized as a leader in building innovative, high-performance, green homes. According to Home Innovation Research Labs, North Carolina continues to be ranked first in the country in the number of NGBS Green Certified single-family homes.
Visit HighPerformanceHomeTour starting April 25 to enjoy the Virtual Tour, which includes an online tour guide and 3D videos of many of the entries. For more information about the Tour, call (919) 493-8899, email julie@hbadoc.com, or visit the Tour pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. #HighPerformanceHomeTour #HighPerformanceHomes #GreenHomes
