Sustainable high performance residential building construction utilizing leading edge technology has been going on in Gainesville Florida since well before the term GREEN was the label coined for such endeavors and long before the Federal government began to shake things up with incentives and mandates from the top down to motivate Federal, State and local municipalities along with the general public to conserve energy, utilize more renewable sources of energy and embrace sustainability (see Energy Policy Act of 2005 and Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007).
Sustainability is an action word in Gainesville Florida since the mid 1990′s
The following is a chronological sampling of sustainable projects clearly demonstrating the accomplishments and early sustainability leadership in Gainesville Florida.. Thanks to Ken Fonorow of Florida Home Energy and Resource Organization (H.E.R.O.) for his long time participation and contribution to this list of achievements.
1997
First Energy Star certified home
*To understand the impact of the Energy Star initiative see statistics on 2011 Energy Star homes in all of Florida…..HERE
1998
GRU – First utility to win Energy Star Utility Ally of the Year Award
1999
Ken Fonorow (Florida H.E.R.O.)- First RESNET certified Rater to win EPA Energy Star Ally of the Year Award
1999
First non-utility sponsored home to win – SEBC Aurora Award for Energy Efficiency
2000
First Builders Association in Nation (GBA, now BANCF) to build Energy Star home in conjunction with H.O.P.E. program
2000
HUD Best Practices Award
First City owned Energy Star Affordable Sub-division- Cedar Grove II
2000
SEBC Aurora Award for Energy Efficient Multi Housing. First Energy Star affordable apartment complex in the USA- Lewis Place Apartments
2001
NAHB Energy Value Housing Award, Gold Award Winner. First Energy Star Townhouse Development – Monticello
2001
NAHB Energy Value Housing Award, Silver Award Winner. First mixed use Energy Star urban in-fill project – Union Street Station
2009
Gainesville City Commission approves first solar Feed-In tariff program in the nation
2010
Grand Aurora Award Winner
Energy Efficient Home Best Energy Efficient Home
Tommy Williams Homes and Energy Smart Home Plans, LLC For Galloway Model, Net-Zero Energy Home in Gainesville, FL
Team Members: Tommy Williams Homes; Energy Smart Home Plans; Florida Hero – Building Science; Florida Solar Energy Center; ECS (Solar Energy Systems)
Our judges were thrilled to see so many builders and designers incorporating green building practices into their designs. From affordable housing to commercial projects the Aurora Awards had its share of exemplary home designs. As one judge stated about the winner of the Special Judges Award, “One challenge facing housing is consumer education regarding green and energy efficient construction. This project demonstrates that green doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive nor do you have to compromise on features within the project.”
Another judge commented that “this is exactly what we should be building.“
If you are interested in taking advantage of this leading edge technology for your own home, either in the purchase of a new home or the renovation of existing dwelling so that you too may enjoy the advantages of a much lower cost of living and a much higher indoor air quality feel free to contact me. I am an Accredited Buyer’s Representative and I specialize in GREEN sustainability and all that entails.
And if you are interested in following along with the "GREEN SCENE" take a look at my previous blog posts below, keep in mind they are chronologically organized and build upon themselves over time, i.e. it is beneficial to take a look at the earlier posts. You can bookmark this page and come back often. You can also contact me anytime and comment on any post. I am very glad to see the interest and have the feedback.
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