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Speaker after speaker at the conference emphasized that there is a wide range of building techniques and technologies that can be used to produce green housing, and Mason indicated that her company is choosing green products that are generally in the mainstream.
Because the company releases its finished homes in groups of eight to 15, "We use items that are readily available and that can’t be hard to get,” she said. Products also must have a proven track record and lengthy warranties and local subcontractors need to be knowledgeable about installing them.
Mason also advised builders to look at the whole house system and the whole house environment first, and to “know the climate and region that you’re in.” For example, Pardee’s activities tend to be concentrated in markets such as Las Vegas, where there is extreme heat and dryness and water shortages are a specific concern.
Pardee stepped up its green building commitment in 2002, with its first “Living Smart” home in San Diego. Buyers are offered three plans that provide premiums in energy savings ranging from 15%-63%. Currently committed to this program are 2,300 homes in three regions and 11 neighborhoods, Mason said, and all of Pardee’s homes may eventually be included.
In its marketing, Pardee provides its home buyers with options that fall into three categories, she said:
- Earth Smart products include cellulose insulation, primarily in the attic; carpet from recycled soda bottles and flooring from sustainable materials such as bamboo and cork; driveway pavers that allow water to percolate into the earth; engineered and certified wood from managed forests; and fiberglass entry doors that hold up and insulate better than wood.
- Health Smart products include low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint; a central vacuum system, which Pardee offered even before it became a green builder; and formaldehyde-free insulation.
- Energy Smart features include ENERGY STAR refrigerators and other appliances that use 10%-50% less energy; General Electric Advantium ovens that cook with light and are eight times faster than conventional ovens; programmable thermostats; fluorescent lighting that uses 66% less heat and lasts up to 10 times longer than incandescent; photovoltaic trellises for solar energy; and sealed duct systems.
Mason said that there is enormous potential for advancements in green building in the Sunbelt, which accounts for roughly half of all the new housing in the country. Only about 10% of the homes being built in this region meet minimal energy standards, she said.
Nationwide, more than 32,000 homes were built green using local green building program guidelines from 1990-2002. In 2002 alone, more than 13,000 green homes were constructed.
There are now 31 successful green building programs in the country, 11 of which are operated by home builders associations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Missouri, New York and Washington.
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