Nov 2007

A rash of recent articles on carbon footprinting has stoked the dialogue about carbon taxes, carbon footprinting and carbon offset purchasing. Congress is considering putting an emissions tax on carbon producing energy sources. Groups like www.ClimateCounts.com are rating specific companies on how well they mitigate their carbon emissions during the creation of their products. It is their hope that the consumer will make purchasing decisions based on the environmental ethnic of a company.

I can even purchase carbon offsets from www.Terrapass.com for $79 to mitigate the 13,000 lbs. of CO2 emitted from my 1996 Tahoe driven 10,000 miles per year.

Terrapass invests that $79 in renewable energy development that will compensate for my carbon pollution and result in a net zero emission.

Comparison shopping reveals I could buy the Ford 4WD Hybrid SUV for $25,000 and almost triple my gas mileage (from 12 mpg to 32 mpg) while cutting my CO2 emissions in half to 6,000 lbs. A TerraPass for the Ford Hybrid is only $39 per year compared to $79 for the old Tahoe. My current monthly gasoline bill of $208 would go down to $78 with the Hybrid, but it would cost me a new car payment of $516 for 60 months. I’m sure my insurance would also double. But how much carbon would be emitted from the Ford factory to make this new truck? About 1.2 tons for the assembly, but that doesn’t include all the carbon emissions from the steel and the other thousands of parts manufactured elsewhere and shipped to the factory for final assembly. A report called “Dust to Dust” from CNW Research measures the total cost of energy to the world from design, product, lifecycle, disposal and recycle. Surprisingly, it puts the Jeep Wrangle and Range Rover high on the list and the Prius and Civic toward the end of the list. Bottom line: the greenest path is to keep the old paid-for trucks running. This is why my bumper sticker reads “Reduce-Reuse-Recycle.”

For more information, please contact GWS @ 1-888-488-0206 or visit our web site www.gwssi.com.

“Ratings Proliferate for Green Builders” raves the Wall Street Journal’s headline on November 7, 2007. It described LEED, the NAHB’s National Green Building Standard, and Energy Star and then stated consumers were confused which one was more valid. We were surprised the article listed the Energy Star program as a green building rating system along side NAHB’s and USGBC’s rating systems. While we certainly believe a green home should be energy efficient, it would be inaccurate to assume all Energy Star homes are green homes. NAHB defines a “True Green Home: as having 3 of these 5 elements: Energy Efficiency, Indoor Air Quality, Water Efficiency, Resource Efficiency, and Site Management.

Also from the Wall Street Journal…
“House Calls: Energy-efficiency audits can find savings in places where consumers might never think to look” (Oct 29, 2007. p. R.6) touts the benefits of a third party who lists energy efficiency improvements in the logical order of implementation, the low-hanging fruit approach.

Topics that were once the domain of building scientists and homebuilders are becoming part of the mainstream language and culture. Everyone lives in a home and pays an electric bill so there is automatically common ground for the market to meet the needs.

For more information, please contact GWS @ 1-888-488-0206 or visit our web site www.gwssi.com.

At GreenBuild in Chicago we saw over 22,000 people. The atmosphere was anticipatory.

My predictions: GREEN IS IN. If you are builder you had better have some green options. You’ll need to show homebuyers that you can offer green solutions and energy efficient solutions; this demonstrates an understanding of the trends in your industry.

GWS is leading the way by helping you understand the options you can provide.

Think of GWS as the roadmap which you can follow and lead the way. Everybody needs a coach, even Tiger Woods and Michael Jordon had coaches to guide them. GWS leads the leaders.

After GreenBuild I attended the Energy Forum in Washington D.C. where the frenzy of activity was about conditions that had global impact and how the environment has earned the attention of the media. We are witnessing the creating of new programs and new partners, even the Wal-Mart employees participate in the selection of which environmentally-friendly products to carry.”

This confirms my belief that the home energy raters and homebuilders
are in a unique position to hold on to the market. My advice: figure out what you want to offer NOW that makes sense for you and then plan to ramp up to the NEXT step with the least amount of effort. Know the road or get left behind. People don’t plan to fail; they fail to plan.

Don't wait for the consumer to ask- and then try to deliver something you are unfamiliar with. Consumers want YOU the builder to be at the top of your game. Be well versed and educated about what they need. The consumer cannot comprehend the nuances of high-performance building and green building; they want to be told by a trusted expert. The under 30 year old market and first-time buyers can't pay for the up charges so whatever your unique offering is, it must be included in the price; buyers will gravitate toward the builder that offers true value – the builder who delivers the most benefits for the least investment.

At GreenBuild they gave everyone a copy of the new Paul Hawken book called “Blessed Unrest...How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw it Coming.” I think this tells it all.

The tipping point has happened; the movement is here folks, so if you are standing still, start moving the right direction. We at GWS believe we are headed in the right direction and we invite you to join us.

Builders of high-performance houses WANT an educated customer, so we suggest builders give them a list of questions to ask when comparing homes.

This information is published by Building America. This BEST PRACTICES guide is 136 pages of illustrations and photos. It is organized for homeowners, managers, marketers, site planners, designers, trades and crafts, and designers. It is useful and free, so check it out!

For more information, please contact GWS @ 1-888-488-0206 or visit our web site www.gwssi.com.

Learn the Lingo! GWS will give away 5 FREE steak dinners for the first 5 people that fax or email us this list of building science acronyms decoded. Google them or call your favorite HERS rater for help. Send email with decoded acronyms to info@gwssi.com

February 18-20, 2008 San Diego, Ca

Your Invitation to San Diego

The RESNET Building Performance Conference is the premier national forum on home energy ratings, residential energy efficiency financing, and building performance business development. The 2008 RESNET Building Performance Conference will take place on February 18 - 20, 2008 in San Diego, CA. Make plans now for three days of networking, learning, sharing and enjoying exciting San Diego.

February 18-20, 2008 San Diego, Ca

Your Invitation to San Diego