First Green Home in Pennsylvania
Going for the Gold: EG Stoltzfus Homes, LLC
has built the first Green-Gold certified home in Pennsylvania
Area builder earns environmental building certification from the National Association
of Home Builders
EG Stoltzfus Homes, LLC has earned Pennsylvania's first Green-Gold certification
by the National Association of Home builders (NAHB). The NAHB National Green Building
Program was selected to rate the EG Stoltzfus home in Hempfield Crossing because
it includes criteria, verification and a third-party evaluation to back up the builder's
green claim. Andy Toms, Director of Production, says they earned the designation
because of the Lancaster-based builder's efforts to reduce the homes impact on the
environment due to its energy and water efficiencies, indoor air quality and the
use of renewable and regionally available resources.
Following the NAHB Green rating system was not to difficult says Toms, because EG
Stoltzfus was already using many green elements in its homes. Scoring its standard
houses in developments throughout Dauphin, York and Lancaster Counties to see how
they rated, Toms found that standard specifications already surpassed NAHB's green
program and would earn a Bronze rating, so with Olympic-like fervor, the company
decided to go for the Gold. Toms then identified new areas for energy & water efficiency
in their popular Glenwood II model in Hempfield Crossing and earned the prestigious
Gold label.
"It has been a great learning process for our company to validate our work over
the years for the South Central Pennsylvania environment and our customers - it
is so much more than saving a tree," explains Toms. "It is how an energy efficient
home handles the climate it is built in. Components of a green home in Florida would
be different from a green home in our area."
Hempfield Crossing's "Glenwood II" NAHB Green Home scored 397 points to qualify
for the prestigious certification at the Gold level. Yet Toms advises most of the
criteria are not in the cosmetics that make a home a showplace. Toms says the very
features that make the home "Green" are not always readily apparent and need to
be explained. With everything "going green" these days- from cars, to companies,
to coffee sometimes it can be hard to tell what that really means, especially when
it comes to a current or future home.
Toms explains that EG Stoltzfus Homes "Green" means incorporating design and construction
techniques, utilizing energy and water efficient products, using building materials
from renewable resources, managing indoor environmental quality and providing the
customer with a homeowner maintenance manual. Although the builder cannot entirely
avoid affecting the environment when a house is built, green building can work towards
minimizing the overall environmental impact. And help its homeowner save money through
the homes energy efficiency.