The Mississippi Home Corporation will showcase affordable homes that are certified green through the NAHB National Green Building Program through a design competition. The winning builder will receive a $50,000 grand prize.

Contest organizers hope to get the word out about the potential benefits of green homes — including lower operating costs — in projects that can work in urban, rural or small-town sites and cost less than $175,000.

All entries must meet the requirements of at least the 2006 International Building Code and the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code and also be scored to at least the Bronze level of NAHBGreen certification by the NAHB Research Center.

Participating home builders must also record construction and installation costs and keep detailed records of expenses as well as projected utility costs — information the judging team will use as it compares designs.

The Mississippi Home Corporation is a member of the Home Builders Association of Jackson, whose Green Building Works program recently affiliated with NAHBGreen. The contest will help draw consumer attention to the HBA’s green program and to its member builders, said Bob McKay, the association’s executive officer.

This month, the HBA is also holding two University of Housing classes — “Green Building for Building Professionals” and “Business Management for Building Professionals” — both among the courses needed to earn the Certified Green Professional designation.

The classes will give a leg up to novice green builders interested in entering the competition and also help increase the ranks of Mississippi CGPs, McKay said.

He credited builder David Smith of David Smith Builder Inc. and NAHBGreen verifier Gary Smith for helping to launch the contest as well as the HBA’s green program. Smith built the first NAHBGreen-certified home in the state and is about to break ground on the fourth.

All homes must be entered by May 4 and certified by Dec. 1, 2009. Additional information is available at the Mississippi Home Corporation Web site.

New grant helps energy-efficient home builders

The Bureau of Development Services in the city of Portland, Ore., is accepting applications for a new grant to build energy-efficient homes.

Grants will be awarded to builders willing to construct two homes: one that performs 15% above the 2008 Oregon Energy Code and another achieving 30% better efficiency than the code. Costs will be recorded during the building process, and energy-efficiency case studies will be performed on the homes.

During the first round, four grants of about $10,000 each will be awarded, and four additional grants may become available during the second round. Grants will be awarded in April, and the homes are expected to be completed by Oct. 15.

Submittals are due to the Bureau on March 4.