Though the general public is just now becoming aware of green mortgages, they’ve actually been around for decades. They are also referred to as Energy Efficient Mortgages or Energy Improvement Mortgages.

A green mortgage allows you to roll in the costs of making specific energy saving improvements to the home you are building or purchasing. This will, of course, increase your monthly mortgage payment but since because these improvements will drastically lower your energy, gas and water consumption, your monthly utilities will decrease even more so than your mortgage. Saving you money every month.

Besides lowering your total monthly bills, you will be eligible to receive tax credits from the federal and local governments for many of your improvements. You properties resale value may actually increase due to the improvements and having an energy efficient home will make the home more attractive to potential home buyers should you decide to sell your home.

Individual monthly savings will differ depending on the degree of the property’s energy efficiency. We’ve seen instances where the home energy efficiency improvements have led to monthly savings of $400 and greater.

Adding energy features such as solar panels and even residential wind turbines have allowed some green mortgage holders to be free of monthly electric bills altogether. Some companies will even pay you if your home generates more electricity than you use by giving the unused portion back to the grid.

Energy Efficient homes not only save you money, they are healthier to live in too. Read “Efficient & Healthy Homes” to learn how.

Being an ENERGY STAR Builder will:

• Increase sales and profits by offering homes that are valued more highly by homebuyers
• Improve customer satisfaction and reduce callbacks by providing a home that has been performance tested.
• Receive Incentives from power company’s /Cooperative marketing funds
• Receive Marketing & promotional materials
• Enhance Reputation as a quality builder of homes that earn the trusted ENERGY STAR label
• List your business on the Northwest and National Energy Star websites
• As a Energy Star builder you will receive incentives from local utilities
• (Tax Credit homes can also be certified. Builder receives a $2000 tax credit for each home)
• (There is also a existing home program called Home Performance with Energy Star that can allow your customers to receive low interest loans from the state of Idaho or Energy Improvement Mortgages from many lending company’s.)

Your customers will:

• Save money on energy costs for years to come
• Have a more comfortable indoor environment with even temperatures from room-to-room
• Contribute to a healthier natural environment and help reduce global warming
• Be eligible for Energy Efficient Mortgages
• Benefits from healthier indoor air resulting from performance-tested duct work and improved more controlled ventilation.
• Have peace of mind knowing their home has been certified by an independent third party
• Have a home that appraises higher then standard code home & a better Resale value

READY TO JOIN ENERGY STAR?

1. There is no cost to partner with EPA’s Energy Star or to use the programs promotional materials.
2. Here’s the partnership process for builders:
3. Fill out partnership agreement.
4. Work with a local Home Energy Rater(EarthsaversO2) to ensure that your homes are designed and built to meet NORTHWEST ENERGY STAR prescriptive path and guidelines.
5. Have your homes inspected, tested & certified by your Home Energy Rater(EarthsaversO2)

TO LEARN MORE CALL: 208-743-2132 or email brook@earthsaverso2.com

Our company will work with Builder in Lewiston, Moscow Idaho & also Clarkston, Pullman Washington. We will also work with builders in the surrounding areas.

Since the Program’s inception in 2004, Northwest ENERGY STAR builders in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington have collectively built 10,000 homes that have been qualified ENERGY STAR helping remove 58,130,000 lbs of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually. This is equivalent to:
• Eliminating the emissions from 5,000 vehicles

• Saving 11,4004,618 lbs of coal

• Planting over 8,125 acres of trees

Northwest ENERGY STAR is pleased to recognize the following Northwest ENERGY STAR builders who have been awarded the 2009 ENERGY STAR Leadership in Housing award. Issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the award recognizes important contributions to energy-efficient construction and environmental protection resulting from building ENERGY STAR qualified homes:

Congratulations to:

 Did you hear? Green Homes Sell for 3-9 Percent More Than Traditional Homes

Earth Advantage Institute has released a report documenting the superior market performance of third-party certified homes in comparison to non-certified homes. The findings are based on an analysis comparing homes certified with appraiser-approved comparable homes. Certified homes in the four-county Seattle metropolitan area sold for 9.7 percent more than non-certified homes. In the five-county Portland area, homes also achieved a price premium of 3 to 5 percent. Homes with an Earth Advantage or comparable certification also sold, on average, 18 days quicker in the Portland metro area.

To learn more about this report, visit Earth Advantage by clicking here. 

Tamarack Construction Co., Inc. Honored as Small Builder of the Year 2008-2009

Tamarack Construction Co., Inc. received their Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes Small Builder of the Year award for Montana June 12^th at the Montana Building Industry Association’s state convention Leadership Luncheon. Thank you Tamarack for your continued dedication to building better homes!

Are your Realtors and sales staff prepared to explain the differences between energy efficient homes and standard code built homes? REALTORS®, builders and other industry partners need to know how to leverage green homes not only for their benefit, but the benefits of homeowners.

Northwest ENERGY STAR is now hosting Selling Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes throughout the Northwest. Approved for continuing education credits both online and in classroom, Selling Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes will ensure your sales team knows how to answer customer questions about comfort, savings, energy efficiency, indoor air quality and more.

 Contact Us to request a training or find our when the next course is scheduled!

ENERGY STAR 2011: EPA Proposed Spec Change Comments

The EPA has proposed a new ENERGY STAR Homes specification to be rolled out in 2011. A draft of the specification was released for comment and below is the feedback being sent to EPA from NEEA, WSU, ODOE, and NCAT. NEEA is optimistic that the EPA will be responsive to comments, and a new specification will be something that can work in the Northwest and continue to deliver a high level of energy savings. The program will continue to update partners as more information is released.

To view submitted comments, click here.

Green Building Tip

Once you have built a very tight home, the next critical step is to make sure you properly insulate the building.

To get an effective insulation job, you first have to ask two key questions: what’s the R-value of the insulation and am I getting that R-value I paid for through correct insulation installation? Make sure the insulation fills the entire cavity where it is installed and touches the surfaces of what you are trying to insulate with no gaps, missing sections of insulation, compression or areas for wind intrusion.

Remember, no insulation is better than any another. The best insulation for the job is the one that can be installed correctly so that it insulates the building uniformly and to its full R-Value. The result: greater comfort, lower energy bills and a quieter home.

The Northwest ENERGY STAR^® newsletter brings you updates every quarter to let you know of changes, opportunities and important information regarding your regional ENERGY STAR homes program. If you have questions, comments or ideas for future newsletters, we welcome your feedback.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- “Posted 06/04/09”
Setting a New Standard for the American Dream Home: St. Jude Children’s Hospital Home Giveaway in Montana Raises Funds While Achieving the Pinnacle of Green Building
Billings Dream Home will be a Net Zero house, generating as much energy as it uses – and someone will win the house for $100

PORTLAND, Ore. — June 4, 2009 — The multiple partners involved describe it as the ultimate win-win: a home in Billings, Montana, will be built, donated and raffled off as a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, and it will also be among the nation’s most energy-efficient homes ever built – the first Net Zero St. Jude Dream Home, and a harbinger of a new generation of smaller, more energy-efficient Dream Homes.
And for the price of a $100 ticket, one person will own a home equipped with the latest energy-efficiency elements in construction, systems and appliances – a home that will actually generate as much energy as it uses, delivering on the “net zero” concept of no overall energy consumption and eliminating utility bills for the homeowner.
The project is possible through a unique and innovative partnership of multiple organizations, including St. Jude Children’s Hospital, homebuilder McCall Development, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes program, the Department of Energy’s “Building America” energy-efficiency program, Washington State University’s building science program and local sponsors such as Billings media outlets KTVQ television and KGHL radio.
“We’re truly excited about this opportunity to combine a wonderful cause such as the St. Jude Dream Home program with our efforts to spread the word about how attainable and affordable energy-efficient homes are today,” said Anne Brink, market manager new residential construction for NEEA.
The Dream Home is being built in the mixed-price Josephine Crossing development, which features 100% ENERGY STAR-certified homes. “St. Jude’s had contacted us about participating in their Dream Home program, and we were intrigued,” said Greg McCall of McCall Development. “Coincidentally, we’d been in discussions with Northwest ENERGY STAR regarding marketing green building within our area. We realized there was a synergy between the goals of each program. As economic barriers were hitting the building industry hard, we realized that there was an opportunity to ‘brand’ the next-generation Dream Home. It struck me right away that maybe we could build the first Net Zero home in the state of Montana, and then give it away for St. Jude.”
St. Jude’s growing Dream Home program, which started in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1991, has built and raffled off more than 200 homes over its history, including 30 homes in 2008, and raised $156 million for research into children’s medical issues. Builders, vendors and sponsors donate labor, materials and cash to produce a new home at no cost to St. Jude. The charity then sells raffle tickets to the public, giving the home away to the winner.
“On the construction side, we rely heavily on suppliers and subcontractors to donate their services and materials,” said Tara Moyer, Dream Home marketing manager for St. Jude. “Seeing that many people and businesses willing to come together to make these projects happen is humbling and incredibly gratifying.”
The Billings project stands out as the only Net Zero home St. Jude’s has been involved with – and, actually, one of only a few true Net Zero homes built anywhere. The coordinated effort to achieve that level of energy efficiency involved several players – foremost among them the DOE’s Building America program, which in the Pacific Northwest is coordinated through Washington State University.
The goal of the Building America program is to encourage and aid builders in achieving a higher level of energy efficiency in new construction. The program offers grants for outreach and education efforts such as builder training. In this case, McCall Development received extensive input from WSU to ensure the project’s materials, construction methods, systems design, insulation and other factors would maximize energy efficiency and ensure net-zero levels of consumption.
Among the innovations included in the Billings Dream Home:
- The floor plan of the 1,920-square-foot home is designed to take advantage of natural lighting, to reduce the need for electric lights inside the house. The home is also positioned on its lot to make optimum use of the location’s existing light.
- The 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath home uses solar panels, a ductless heat pump, an energy-recovery ventilator, double-pane low-E windows, R30 wall insulation and ENERGY STAR lighting and appliances.
- Bidirectional metering will monitor both energy production and energy use, allowing an accurate accounting of the home’s net energy use.
“Forty to fifty percent of Dream Homes are on some level energy-efficient,” said Russ Laney, associate director of construction for St. Jude. “The Billings Net Zero Dream Home is in a class by itself – it’s not on the cutting edge, it IS the cutting edge. This is a window on the future for both homebuilding and the Dream Home program.”
The home is being built as part of a larger 100% ENERGY STAR development, rather than a separate custom-build. McCall’s Josephine Crossing development offers homes from $150,000 to $700,000 all in one neighborhood; the St. Jude Dream Home’s retail value is approximately $400,000, The development is specifically designed to reverse the trend of new developments being centered around automobile traffic. Josephine Crossing features narrower streets with traffic-calming features, wide sidewalks set back from the street, garages in the rear of homes, and pocket parks rather than greenbelts.
Construction on the Billings St. Jude Dream Home began in January, and is scheduled to finish in August. Raffle tickets, priced at $100, will go on sale in Billings at eight Cellular Plus locations as well as at McCall Homes Design Studio. After a Sneak Peek event for sponsors and vendors August 13 and a public Grand Opening August 15, the giveaway will be televised live on KTVQ Sunday, September 27. The organizers anticipate more than 5,000 people will tour the home through a series of open houses.
The program’s goal is to sell 6,000 tickets, generating $600,000 for St. Jude. Other prizes that have been donated give ticket buyers a 1-in-500 chance of winning a prize valued at $1,000 or more. Including building subcontractors, sponsors, media outlets and others, more than 60 local companies have donated time, materials or services to the effort.
“This program is not just great for the community and for medical research, but also for promoting a higher level of building efficiency,” said Dave Hetherington, program manager for Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes. “It’s an exciting story – it’s a great giveaway for a great cause, and we’re building awareness around energy use and the ability to build to a net-zero energy use level.”

About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas in 1962, has treated more than 21,000 children from across the United States and 70 foreign countries. St. Jude helps families across the state of Montana, including Cascade, Flathead, Ravalli, Yellowstone, Park, Silver Bow and Jefferson Counties. Research findings are shared freely with doctors and scientists all over the world. For more information, visit www.stjude.org or call 1.800.954.5499.

About McCall Development
McCall Development is a local building and development company located in Billings, Montana. The company was founded in 1993 by Jim McCall. Siblings Greg, Brad and Carolee McCall currently run and operate the company with a vision to build homes that embody charm and character, where bigger is not always better, and affordable does not have to mean cheap. McCall Development homes are architecturally designed, ENERGY STAR certified and as unique as the people who live in them. For more information on McCall Development, call 406.651.5354 or visit www.mccalldevelopment.com.

About Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes
ENERGY STAR qualified homes in OR, WA, ID and MT are built by home builders participating in the Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes program, which is funded by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA). NEEA is a non-profit corporation supported by the Bonneville Power Administration, electric utilities, public benefits administrators, state governments, public interest groups and energy efficiency industry representatives. These entities work together to make affordable, energy-efficient products and service available in the marketplace. For more information regarding NEAA, visit: www.nwalliance.org. Consumers can learn more about ENERGY STAR qualified homes by visiting www.NorthwestENERGYSTAR.com or calling 1.800.539.9362.