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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.
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