Today at our weekly builders’ meeting, BGE rep Chris Wall stopped by to take a look at our project and suggest ways for our builders and Oliver residents to take advantage of BGE’s many “green” incentives. Assuming you can’t read the above flier, here’s the gist:

- $50 rebates are awarded to residents who purchase energy-efficient refrigerators and clothes washers

- Big discounts and savings are offered on CFL Bulbs (Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs)

- Free Energy Audits are available via internet or telephone to BGE customers (either a one hour Quick Home Energy Check-up or a more comprehensive Home Performance evaluation, both of which include free installation of several free goodies like low flow showerheads, cfl bulbs, and insulation on water heater pipes)

- $50 if you call to have your old, less efficient refrigerator picked up (again, for free) by BGE to be recycled

- $175-$400 are available for high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment and $200 for duct sealing

- Through the PEAK Rewards program, homeowners can receive a programmable thermastat that allows you to save on costs while away from home for long periods of time

BGE also offers a program that caters specifically to low-income customers, providing them with more free services if they qualify for the Maryland Energy Assistance Program or the Electric Universal Services Program. For builders looking to upgrade their homes, BGE allocates money based on each property’s HERS rating. Rebates range from $400-$1000, depending on where the home falls on that scale.

Given that all of our houses on Bond St. are all going for LEED certification, you can bet our builders were enthusiastic about the above. More importantly, however, rep Chris Walls was able to witness first-hand our commitment to to holistic community development, and as such has introduced the idea of a “block by block blitz” of energy inspections that would incorporate not only our homebuyers, but the current residents of Oliver as well. Looks like a beautiful partnership in the offing…

As of yesterday, the USGBC’s pilot program LEED for Neighborhood Development is no longer just a pilot program—tag-teaming Chicago and Washington DC, reps from the NRDC, the Congress for New Urbanism, and the USGBC opened LEED ND up to any developer looking to build large scale sustainable communities. While their “trial period” only allowed for 200 projects (68 of which have been certified), they expect a huge response from builders riding the energy efficient wave.  

If you’re already familiar with LEED for Homes and the USGBC’s other rating systems, you’re probably wondering how LEED ND differs. Because the program focuses on a holistic approach to green development (officially, it “integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building”), more emphasis is placed on improvements outside the single home: streetscapes, land and wildlife conservation, local food production, etc. Projects can include whole neighborhoods, parts of neighborhoods, or multiple neighborhoods, and require only one certified building (though all buildings must incorporate energy efficient features, placement, etc, and must all be contiguous).

All well and good, except for one thing—LEED ND seems largely incongruous with development in existing neighborhoods. From a USGBC FAQ Sheet:

Q. I live in an existing neighborhood and after reviewing the rating system, feel that our community could achieve many of the credits. Is this something other neighborhoods have done?

A. Although LEED for Neighborhood Development does not directly exclude existing neighborhoods from registering and certifying, certain requirements in the rating system may make success unlikely. Please consider the following:

• The owner, or a group of owners, applying for certification should already own, have title to, or have significant control over the majority of the land within the project boundary.

• It is strongly recommended that the majority (50% or more) of the total project square footage undergo substantial enhancement—either new construction or major renovations.

• For Stage 3 projects, the documentation must be submitted to GBCI within 3 years of project completion. A project is complete when: i) the appropriate regulatory authorities have issued certificates of occupancy for all new buildings within the project and have accepted all infrastructure within the project; ii) every aspect of the project that pertains to a prerequisite has been completed; and iii) every aspect of the project that pertains to a credit that is being pursued has been completed.

• The Green Infrastructure and Buildings section will likely be the most difficult for existing projects. The Rating System requires at least one green building (LEED or another eligible system), along with additional water, energy and construction activity waste reductions for new buildings or major renovations. In addition, the imperiled species and wetland & water body prerequisites in the Smart Location & Linkage section may be difficult to document on an existing site although for many prerequisites exceptions are given for previously developed sites.

Complications with licensing, permits, and all the other paperwork is to be expected, and the wildlife/wetland adjacent prereq an admirable factor, but should there be more of an effort to facilitate the former and should the latter even be a requirement? Considering our own project in the Oliver Community, I would have to say this is a serious failing of the new LEED ND program. Why favor a site conveniently situated near a body of water over an urban neighborhood with just as much potential? Why favor the new at the expense of the existing? Current projects have been publicized here and here—interestingly, these are urban communities that seem to illustrate the “exceptions” listed in the above. How difficult it is to actually secure leniency in the SLL category, however, I suppose only time will tell. Hopefully, as more projects struggle through the process and the program evolves, LEED ND will become more equitable.  

There are quite a few resources available on the web if you’d like to learn more about LEED ND. For answers to more general questions, feel free to peruse the FAQ sheets provided by the USGBC here and here. If you’d like even more detail, both the checklist and the rating system are available in pdf format on the USGBC website.

Our first house (1512 N. Bond St.) has officially passed the LEED for Homes pre-drywall inspection! After a week of frantically filling out paperwork and struggling with contractors unused to the stringent requirements of the process, we were rewarded with a passing score and a compliment from the raters on our energy and enthusiasm (and our abnormally tidy worksite). It’s also a welcome surprise that 1512 has the potential to reach LEED for Homes GOLD—a testimony to our team’s commitment to building homes of the highest quality.

Congrats to the builder in question (and our team leader) Lloyd Williams. One down, eleven to go…

We’ve hit a milestone—it’s time for our LEED pre-drywall inspection (one of two inspections that builders are required to undergo in order to achieve certification). For those of you unfamiliar with the process, this inspection involves the following:

- Review of our blueprints and construction spec sheets (which list equipment and appliance details)

- Review of our Manual J and D Calculations and HVAC/ductwork installation

- Review of our durability and erosion control measures via LEED’s Durability Risk Evaluation Form and Durability Inspection Checklist

- Review of our on-site waste management program (via LEED’s required calculations and recycling plant receipts)

- Review of visual and/or contractual documentation of all of the above

- Passing the LEED’s Thermal Bypass Checklist (the biggie—this will test how air-tight our homes are)

At some point this week, our LEED rater will be stopping by three properties to make sure all is in order prior to the start of construction. When we pass, we will that much closer to reaching LEED Silver Certification. Wish us luck!

Catherine Mohr explains how she took on the challenge of truly effective green building in constructing her new home– what materials she used, which processes, and how long it would take to “break even” with a range of alternatives.

As with most TED talks, the below clip needs little intro or epilogue– just watch and ponder, and if you like check out Catherine’s profile here.

Last week the Verde Group and One Green Home at a Time were featured at an “Affordable Green Housing” panel at UMBC—you might recall a previous announcement via this blog. One of three case studies included (along with the Brooklyn and Curtis Bay Coalition Townhomes and Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake Modular Homes), One Green Home was introduced to a crowd of students, professors, local government officials, and other leaders the green building industry. Following representatives from the other two projects, our very own Lloyd Williams elaborated on how our initiative has played out in the Oliver Community, with an emphasis on the fact that our group has been working to build our high quality homes with virtually no government aid.

Speeches from case study reps were followed by comments from Ken Strong of the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development, and Mel Freeman of the Citizens Planning and Housing Association. Policy recommendations for the next decade (included in a very well organized and detailed report compiled by UMBC law students Ingrid Lofgren and Jenny Rensler) were then discussed and praised by members of the panel and audience. Mr. Freeman emphasized his own commitment to the weatherization of homes, as well as aging in place and safety programs for elderly residents—a man after our own collective heart.

As an onlooker from the back row, it was thrilling to see the enthusiasm with which community leaders embraced our project’s mission and outcome—at one point Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano singled Lloyd out, dubbing him “the future”. High praise indeed for a small group that only recently appeared on the green building scene.

You can read the report in its entirety here. Thanks to Ingrid Lofgren and Jenny Rensler for their hard work and generous inclusion of our project in their research.

Last June Gov. O’Malley announced a grant program (“EmPOWER Clean Energy Communities”) geared toward energy efficient projects in Maryland’s low-moderate income neighborhoods. Of the $7.3 million in Strategic Energy Investment Funds (SEIF) allocated to 2009 and 2010, $3.2 million are still left for this year’s projects. Yesterday, the Governor announced the award recipients for Round 1 of the 2010 program—the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) will distribute any leftover funds to those counties who did not exhaust their available cash in Round 2. The goal is to execute energy retrofits that will help over 1,000 Maryland families save significant amounts of cash.

So who’s up for Round 2? Each Maryland county, and Baltimore city, has been allocated their portion based on the number of low-to-moderate income residences that exist within its boundaries. A list of all grants awarded by the MEA in round one, along with a county-by-county list of available money for round two, can be found here (Note: all projects listed include Energy Star, but not LEED, certified projects… interesting…). To read more about the grant program, and to get an application for Round 2, visit the MEA website here.

According to the USGBC Maryland Chapter, the Baltimore County Council will be holding a public hearing that will reintroduce banning wind turbines in certain areas of Baltimore County. The County Planning Board has already recommended that small wind turbines be prohibited on all lots not in residential use (including all commercial, industrial, institutional, and agricultural sites), and that they only be permitted on residential properties of a minimum 1acre as “accessory”. You can find the complete Planning Board report here.

Speaking for all participants at One Green Home, I’m going to have to agree with the USGBC when they say that this is a far greater issue than onsite renewable energy—if we  voice our support for wind turbines, we will be reinforcing a more green-building friendly political climate. I’m sure everyone who has read this blog and has supported our project can understand the importance of that.

Several County residents stepped up in January during the Planning Board’s last meeting on the subject– now it’s time to do your part! The Baltimore County Council public hearing is scheduled for next Monday (April 19^th) evening—speaker registration closes at 7pm. You can also email your Councilman via Baltimore County’s legislative branch website.

Come join UMBC’s School of Law’s Clinical Law Program, developers, local government, and community members as they discuss ways that Baltimore City can encourage sustainable housing development.

NOTE: Our very own Lloyd Williams is a panelist, so come show your support! And if you need directions, just visit the website listed in the above.

The US General Services Administration has invested $4billion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds in green retrofits. The money will go to over 500 companies across the country working to make federal buildings more efficient, and is predicted to create hundreds of new jobs. All buildings in question are expected to acheive LEED Silver certification– current projects include a new energy-efficient courthouse in Austin, a new solar roof on the Veterans Affairs building in downtown Philly, and an retrofited, greener World War II munitions plant in St. Louis.

For more info, including an assessment from VP Biden on the cost-saving successes of the investment, click here. You can also read more about the GSA’s environmental initiatives on their “green” page here, and their sustainable building projects (with pamphlets galore) here.