How green was my house
ASU Energy Center issues HealthyBuilt certification

By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

A local builder recently completed the first Appalachian State University Energy Center-certified HealthyBuilt

home.

The home is owned by Dwight Simmons and was built by Larry Norris of Norris Construction. The Boone home achieved standards set by a statewide building council, North Carolina HealthyBuilt Homes.

The ASU Energy Center partners with local builders and establishes checklists and final inspection. ASU Energy Center’s Laurel Elam said six other green-building projects are under way in the area, with interested exploding in western North Carolina.

The builder is required to take an orientation course, with the center scheduling some sessions this year. Courses are also held in Raleigh and Asheville. ASU Energy Center is the HealthyBuilt community partner for Ashe, Avery, Watauga, Mitchell, Burke, Caldwell, Wilkes, Alleghany, Surry, Stokes, Forsyth, Yadkin, Davie, Davidson, Cleveland, Catawba and Alexander counties.

Elam, a project manager, promotes a broad range of green-building and energy-efficient projects and programs. ASU became a community partner in July 2007 and also is an advocate for LEEDs certification and other sustainable certifications.

“They did such a beautiful job. They did a geothermal heat pump with some reclaimed lumber,” Elam said. “They used energy-efficient appliances and non-toxic materials.”

The certification requires at least three visits, along with a final inspection. Elam said though there are differences between the various certification programs, the basic principles are the same — energy efficiency, sustainability in materials and attentiveness to the house’s operation.

Larry Norris said the decision to “go green” on the house was made shortly after construction started in January 2008.

Simmons was interested in the green movement, Norris said, and Simmons also owns a timber company.

“Some of the aspects were new, but it was basically common sense,” Norris said. “The tightness of the house and insulation are taken into consideration, as well as the quality of the air inside the house.”

Norris said he used HealthyBuilt guidelines in construction, paying attention to the R-rating of materials to insure lower energy bills.

“It is somewhat more expensive but the payback should make it a less-expensive home to operate and live in,” Norris said. “In all my building projects now, I am working on tightening them up and making them a more comfortable home to live in. That’s the best thing that comes out of this, is that people have more comfortable homes.”

Norris is a certified green builder with the National Home Builders Association and is the first local builder to partner with the ASU Energy Center on a project, though other HealthyBuilt homes have been constructed in the region.

The N.C. HealthyBuilt Homes program provides a certificate for homes meeting “green home guidelines” built by residential builders who practice sustainable, high-performance building strategies making the home a comfortable, healthy and affordable place that reduces energy and water usage, promotes renewable energy use and helps protect the land where the home is built.

According to HealthyBuilt Homes, building materials and processes are selected to reduce pollution and the waste of natural resources during the manufacturing and construction phases and throughout the life of the home. The builder is encouraged to provide homeowner education about the high performance features of the home and provide local resources for “green” living.

Elam said any regional builder interested in the certification could partner with the ASU Energy Center for a checklist and inspections.