‘Green’ home hits the gold standard
House in Oklahoma is first to win top honors for energy efficiency

BY CHRIS BRAWLEY MORGAN

Published: November 8, 2008

Oklahoma’s first "green” home to win a gold stamp of approval is on a typically quiet, suburban street.

In fact, the traditional brick house with a front porch looks like many others in the affordable, under-$200,000 price range.

There is a difference, however. Each step in the construction process of the house at 18024 Andalucia Drive was taken with energy conservation in mind, said Todd Booze, co-owner and president of construction of Ideal Homes.

So far, the home is the only one in Oklahoma to land in the highest category — gold — of the National Green Certification program recently launched by the National Association of Home Builders.

"Most consumers think a house is a house. We are trying to educate consumers that not all houses are the same,” Booze said.

Tight house

One of the most important elements to building a green home, including the one on Andalucia Drive, is a high-performance heating and air-conditioning system.

However, Booze said, "It doesn’t matter if you have the Cadillac of systems if it isn’t installed right.”

For instance, many builders use duct tape, which eventually loses adhesiveness, Booze said. Ideal Homes ducts are enclosed with a long-lasting mastic glue.

In addition, "There’s no excuse for not getting a house as tight as possible,” he said.

An air ventilation system continuously replaces interior air with fresh, outside air.

"That’s the key. When you tighten a house this way, you’ve got to re-ventilate the property,” he said.

Green verifiers

The National Green Building Certification program continues to grow. The NAHB Research Center said it has so far accredited 250 verifiers to inspect the green homes, certifying that they meet requirements in lot design, water conservation, use of recycled products and energy efficiency.

The verifiers lend credibility to the green-building certification process and are located in 43 states, including Oklahoma, according to the NAHB.

"Accredited third-party verification lends credibility to green projects,” said Michael Luzier, president of the NAHB Research Center. "All verifier candidates must meet rigorous prerequisites, complete a comprehensive training session, and pass a verifier accreditation test administered by the NAHB Research Center.”

The lauded green home here is in Valencia, an Ideal Homes neighborhood in northwest Oklahoma City. A few years ago, in the same neighborhood, the company constructed a "zero-energy” home, which means it produces as much energy as it consumes throughout the year.

Energy demand

In all, Ideal Homes will build about 350 homes this year in 17 neighborhoods across the Oklahoma City area.

Since 1998, every Ideal home has met federal Energy Star standards, which are 20 to 30 percent more energy efficient than other homes built at the same time.

"When we first started, we were more focused on a high performance that would, over time, save our customers money,” Booze said.

In the past few years, Ideal Homes builders have become more concerned about the environmental impact of construction. Booze pointed out that more than 1.2 million homes are built each year in the United States — though that number may be somewhat less this year.

"We’ve got to do our part here on the building and development side,” Booze said.

"The more efficient builders can be, the more reduction there’ll be in the demand for energy, both electrical and natural gas.”

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