The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to provide a set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. The LEED green building rating system has influenced more developers to build green for the many benefits that can be reaped from obtaining certification, such as press coverage, increased marketability, tax incentives, and most importantly, energy savings.

There are 69 total points available (point system at bottom of page) that can be earned, and four levels of certification based on the number of points awarded: Cerftified (26-32 points), Silver (33-38), Gold (39-51), and Platinum (52-69). Points can be earned in six different categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process.

Unfortunately, LEED doesn't guarantee energy efficiency, as certification can be gained without earning many or even any LEED points in the area.  A point system that weights a costly HVAC system or renewable-energy system about equal with a bike-storage room needs some refining. However, due for LEED 2009 is a new point system that will allocate more points to buildings that are energy efficient and/or are constructed using recycled materials.

While the LEED certification stamp does make a building more marketable (among other benefits), getting the actual certification can be extremely costly and in some cases unnecessary.  Fortunately, developers like Steven Caplan (Devonshire broker) continue to construct eco-logical homes despite their higher initial costs, as these homes eventually pay for their higher construction costs because of their long term energy savings, and they are healthier to live in. Such steps towards building a sustainable home include increased energy efficiency, daylighting, recycling materials, non-polluting carpet and paint, and low-flow water fixtures and toilets. While homes and apartment complexes can become LEED certified, most frequently non-residential developments seek LEED certifications.

As eco-logical living becomes increasingly important in our struggle to slow global warming, we can look forward to more developers building green, both with and without LEED certification. We as consumers must acknowledge that it costs more money to buy or rent an eco-logical residence, however, the long term energy savings and contributions to the environment make such investments all the more valuable.

Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) systems have become increasingly important in North America much due to the current drive to make buildings ‘green’, conserve energy, and enhance indoor air quality.

Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV) and Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV) are HVAC systems that exhaust stale indoor air and replace it with fresh air from outside. What makes these systems energy efficient is the fact that prior exhausting the indoor air, the indoor air’s hot or cold temperature (depending on the season) is used to heat or cool the inflowing outside air. The difference between HRVs and ERVs is that HRVs recover only the temperature from the inside air. ERVs utilize the indoor air to humidify or dehumidify the incoming outside air.

Summed up, what makes ERVs unique is their ability to capture and recycle building energy to preheat, pre-cool, humidify or dehumidify the incoming air, instead of exhausting the energy to the outside. Also, ERVs make homes healthier, as half of all illnesses are attributed to indoor airborne contaminants, and ventilation with outdoor air is the only strategy that can reduce the levels of indoor pollutants.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of knowledge on new energy-saving building practices and the potential to reduce operating costs, creating a restraint on this industry. Usually, when building a new home or building, developers rely on contractors to select HVAC equipment for the building. Contractors, however, work within a budget and tend to purchase equipment based on price rather than long-term efficiency and cost benefits. Fortunately for developers like Devonshire broker Steven Caplan, we are seeing more initiative to integrate ERV systems into newly developed green homes, such as the recently completed Summerlin home in Boulder County. With plans to build many more ecological luxury homes much like it, I think we can all take a breath of fresh air having seen the future of ‘green’ home development.

In building the new Summerlin Home in Longmont, CO, Environmental Builders developer and Devonshire broker Steven Caplan took the more expensive, but environmentally friendly route of building with materials that are either recycled or renewable. In a previous blog post, Renewable Resources: The Future Of Construction, Lucas Shortridge discussed the importance of using renewable lumbers as well as non-volatile finishes in striving to build a 100% eco-friendly home. Using FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood guarantees that the amount of timber harvested is being reforested at an equal rate. Similarly, when selecting sources of tile or counter top, it is important that we stop depleting the earth of its non-renewable resources such as granite and marble.

Dal-Tile provides all of the tile needs for the floors and secondary bathrooms in the Summerlin home. In manufacturing their tiles, Dal-Tile uses the minimum amount of virgin raw materials possible. For example, a major component (up to 45%) of the body in the Duraflor products (floor tile) is a by-product from a 3M manufacturing process for roofing materials that was formerly disposed of as a waste. In their manufacturing process some of Dal-Tile’s other environmentally practices include:
-Using natural gas instead of fuel oils or coals
-Using water based glazes to eliminate the use of volatile solvents
-Recycling scrap tile generated during manufacturing into new tile products

Another type of finish being utilized in the house is Sumi-E tile made by Lunada Bay Tile. Sumi-E tile contains no chemical or toxic substances, is heat energy retaining and conducting (conserving), and is ecologically compatible/ environmentally green among other standout qualities.

If you are ever in the market to build a new home or renovate your old, instead of purchasing non-renewable materials like marble or granite, consider utilizing stylish and eco-friendly materials from quality manufacturers like Dal-Tile or Lunada Bay tile.

In building an ecological home, the materials and technologies utilized are very important in striving to be sustainable, however, the homes design is equally significant when it comes to making a home efficient. In the Inman news article, “More architects designing homes with sun in mind,” author Arrol Gellner discusses the benefits of using “passive solar design” in order to allow the suns natural lighting and heating capabilities to supersede the need to use BTUs.

When designing a home with passive solar layout, one must recognize exactly where and when the sun will enter the home throughout the course of the day. Breakfast rooms and sometimes bedrooms should face east in order to receive the sun’s morning light, while rooms with afternoon usage, such as dining rooms, should face west.

Developer and Devonshire Company Broker Steven Caplan and his partner architect adhered to such guidelines when designing the nearly completed an energy efficient luxury home in Boulder County. The home is designed in a U-shape to allow it to have as many windows as feasibly possible to enable natural solar lighting and heating. The home also uses the aforementioned room placement guidelines to have a functional and energy efficient floor plan.

The home’s windows are made of Jeld-Wen Low E glass, a type of insulating glass that blocks UV rays and the sun’s infrared heat, keeping homes cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Another energy saving feature in this home is Solar Tube lighting, which eliminate the need waste electricity on lights during the day. Solar Tubes are 10-20" cylindrical tubes with mirror lined walls that allow the suns light to pass through the home's roof and into the home, heat free. Hopefully, we can all look foreword to a future with more homes built with such logical design schemes that dramatically increase a home’s energy efficiency.

Developer and Devonshire broker Steve Kaplan recently held a “green house” party for the nearly finished sustainable luxury home that is near in Boulder, CO. This luxurious 4 bed and 5 bath home has around 4,500 sq. ft. of upstairs living area and 3,500 sq. ft. in the basement.

What makes this home different from most other homes being built today? Everything from materials used in building the house to the energy reducing technologies that make it’s energy costs extremely low compared to most luxury homes. Typically, a monthly utility bill for a four person home can be as high as $800, whereas this new ecologic luxury home can have a monthly utility bill as low as $150 per month.

While it does cost more upfront to build purchase sustainable materials and technologies that make this home energy efficient, in the long run it will pay for itself due reduced energy costs, especially considering the escalating energy crisis that is in need of solutions.

This home is currently scheduled to be completed in about 8 weeks. With 28 more open lots ready to be developed into sustainable homes, Boulder Real Estate can look forward to more green housing being available in the near future. Anticipate more blogs about the technologies found in this home as well as other emerging green technologies in home building.

In an industry where buyers are becoming increasingly independent in their search for a new home, seeing an online video of the property can make home searching more effective and efficient than viewing only pictures of the property. For any of you Denver real estate buyers, look forward to having some of the following real estate marketing tools ease your search for a new home.

The Inman News article "Gen X, Gen Y goldmine: If you're not marketing listings with video, you're missing out" gives good advice for increasing the marketability of ones properties through posting video home tours on the listing’s website.

Instead of having to drive, or even fly, all the way out to a property to see what lies beneath a listing’s photos, online video tours can give buyers a more animated and efficient way to get a first look of a property.

There are multiple ways of creating virtual tour videos that range in ease and intricacy. The simplest way, using RealEstateShows.com, is to upload five to nine pictures and their system handles the rest. This system uses "panning" technology that gives the impression that the show is actually a video.

SoundsReal.com and VizzVox.com, allow you to create a voiceover to go with your slideshow or video. The SoundsReal.com software allows you to pick out specific keywords like “that is then added to your video by a professional actor, or it can be recorded using your own voice.

One of the hot trends currently is to shoot virtual tours in HD using sites like TurnHere.com or WellcomeMat.com. Whether done on your own with a video camera, or shot professionally in HD, it's a powerful way to show your listings, especially if someone has a big-screen television.

Deciding what online service to use should be determined by how much time and money you want to dedicate towards listing the subject property. For example, when you are adding a home to a Denver real estate listing, it would clearly make more sense to make a professional HD video for a $6 million dollar property than a $600,000 property.