Plainfield Home Awarded Gold Certification in Green Building

The home, built by St. Thomas Homes of Naperville is one of the 2008 Cavalcade of Homes Models. It becomes only the fourth home certified this year in the entire U.S. under the NAHB’s National Green Building Program.

For Immediate Release

Plainfield, Illinois June 18, 2008 – This green home is gold! St. Thomas Homes, a custom home builder in Naperville and Plainfield announces that the “Tiana Leanor,” a model home constructed for the 2008 Northern Illinois Home Builders Association (NIHBA) Cavalcade of Homes has received a Gold Certification from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Green Building Program. Additionally, the home has earned the ENERGY STAR® which means it meets strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to ENERGY STAR guidelines, these homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and includes additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20-30% more efficient than standard homes. Lantz Rakow, President of D & H Energy Management of Huntley, Illinois, attests the Tiana Leanor is the most energy efficient home he has tested. Rakow is an approved verifier for meeting ENERGY STAR specifications and evaluated the home according to the EPA’s procedures. “When compared to a home of similar size, I expect this home to use 60 to 70% less in total energy use,” explains Rakow. “It is truly an impressive home in terms of energy savings.”

With the Gold Certification, the Tiana Leanor joins an elite group of homes achieving this pinnacle of green building. At this time, the NAHB Research Center reports only two other homes in the United States have been certified Gold by a third party verifier. One other home is certified Silver thus far in 2008. According to Richard Cannavino, President of St. Thomas Homes, energy savings was the main focus in building his green Cavalcade model. “I consulted with various ENERGY STAR vendors to choose a combination of components that will produce the greatest overall savings in energy use,” explains Cannavino. “I am the first builder in the Cavalcade’s 50 years of existence to use geothermal units for heating and cooling. I’ve connected these to a water holding tank which feeds into high efficiency, on demand, tankless gas water heaters. I expect this to result in at least 30% to 50% lower utility bills.” More than energy savings is necessary to become a NAHB certified green built home, however. A home must meet minimum guidelines in seven key construction areas: Site, Resource Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Water Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, Homeowner Education, and Global Impact. After reaching the point thresholds, an additional 100 points must be achieved by implementing any of the remaining line items. Currently, the certification program is based on the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, published in 2005. Homeowners benefit when a home is built green. They experience lower home operating costs, maintenance needs are reduced, indoor living areas are healthier and more comfortable, and the environmental impact of their home is lessened. Increased home value is a likely outcome as well. “Third party verification, necessary for both the ENERGY STAR designation and certification with the NAHB’s National Green Building Program, lends credibility to any builder’s claims of energy efficiency and use of green building techniques,” says Bob Hill, Director of Laboratory and Certification Sciences at the NAHB Research Center.

What visitors will find when they visit the Tiana Leanor is a beautiful home, one that any family could live in comfortably. Most of what makes this home green won’t be readily noticeable. During every step of the construction a host of options were evaluated as to their overall impact on the home itself as well as the environment. Energy efficiency, water and resource conservation, the use of sustainable or recycled products, and indoor air quality considerations are all incorporated into the home building process. Visitors at the 2008 NIHBA Cavalcade of Homes can learn more about the products utilized in building this home, the first certified green building in the Village of Plainfield. The Cavalcade of Homes takes place in the Stewart Ridge subdivision from June 28 through July 20, 2008. For more information about the Tiana Leanor, contact Richard Cannavino at 630-973-9061 or visit the website www.stthomashomes.net . Information about the 2008 Cavalcade of Homes can be accessed at www.cavalcadeofhomes.com or call the Northern Illinois Home Builders Association at 630-978-9000.

About St. Thomas Homes:
St. Thomas Homes is a custom home builder based in Naperville and is currently building in the communities of Grande Park of Plainfield and Springbank of Plainfield. St. Thomas Homes has become an ENERGY STAR Partner. Richard Cannavino, President of St. Thomas Homes, received his certifications as a Graduate Builder (CGB) and as a Green Professional (CGP) from the NAHB. He is a member of the Executive Board of the NIHBA and also serves on the board for the Home Builders Association of Illinois. St. Thomas Homes was named the 2007-2008 Home Builder of the Year by the NIHBA last December.

Contact:

Richard Cannavino, President
St. Thomas Homes
630-973-9061
http://www.stthomashomes.net

Or

Vickie Romanski
Sales Manager
815-436-4999

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 at 10:07 pm and is filed under Environmental Engineering. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.