Architects – Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR®

Recently we have been spending some time working on getting our Alabama Green Building Services & Solutions pages up on our main web site. While we normally don’t cross post, we thought some of the information on a few of our newer pages might be helpful. So with no further ado – our post for Architects on the Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR program.

At SLS Construction, we are a proud partner of ENERGY STAR and we provide certified Home Energy Rating Services to help qualify new and existing homes for the ENERGY STAR label. ENERGY STAR has developed a program available for Architects where the plans are pre-qualified / Designed to earn the ENERGY STAR label when they are built.

Benefits:

• Most consumers already recognize and trust the ENERGY STAR label that can give prospective clients added confidence that their new home will truly be energy efficient when it is built.
• This give’s your builders a leg up if they pursuing Building America Challenge, EarthCraft, LEED, NAHBGreen, or numerous other green certifications, as most of these programs are based off ENERGY STAR.
• The energy-efficient features specified in Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR home plans can translate into increased comfort and satisfaction for homeowners. This in turn can lead to more referrals from customers who have bought and built from your plans.
• If you design plans for a sub division, or even sell them nationwide -once the first one is approved they all are approved unless certain changes are made.
• While everyone talks about “Green Buildings” or “Green Designs” you will actually have a third party verified stamp on the plans proving that your house design is energy efficient. Once the house has been built and inspected, you and the customer can have confidence that it was done properly.
• Increased Marketing: Once your first set of plans has been approved, you will then be able to market yourself and be listed as an ENERGY STAR Partner.

The Process:

• For those new to the process you would first find an authorized HERS rater (i.e. SLS Construction) and then register with ENERGY STAR for the program.
• At this time, you will receive and should review the Plan Review Checklist.
• We will sit down with the Architect or designer to review the plans, entering all the appropriate information, make suggestions as required & complete the required paperwork. The earlier we are involved (especially with the first two or three)the easier it is to make any needed changes to the specifications. We will be utilizing the Thermal Bypass & indoor air PLUS checklists to help us  make sure nothing is missed
• Once everything is finalized and approved, you will be given the Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR label.

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