By Joe Pflueger
Splash Intern

With the growing popularity of "green" construction, local builders are moving toward sustainable homes as the norm, with added incentives for homeowners.

"It is not going away," said Jayson Hunnel, a Greenstone Homes employee and coordinator of the Inland Northwest Built Green Council. "There is a growing demand for sustainable homes."

Inland Northwest Built Green, a program of the Spokane Homebuilders Association, offers a simple, five-star rating system that gives consumers an easy way to evaluate "green" residential construction.

A "green" home means the house works as an interwoven system, with insulation, heating and cooling creating a network of efficiency, Hunnel said.

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Splash photo by Joe Pflueger Though cracked, a concrete floor is one that builders say will stand the test of time. For more For more information about green building and incentives, visit: www.inwbuiltgreen.org www.avistautilities.com www.energystar.gov

Greenstone, other builders commit to energy efficiency
Before the housing market slump in 2008, Liberty Lake-based Greenstone Homes made a commitment to build all houses with at least a two-star energy rating, based on the Green Built rating system.

Greenstone Realtor Kristi Green said it's tough to tell whether the switch to green building has attracted more buyers, since the housing market in general has been changing since the slump.

Still, Greenstone construction is up 37 percent from last year, according to the company. And Greenstone also has earned accolades for its efforts. Earlier this summer, Northwest Energy Star named the company its Regional Builder of the Year.

Along with Greenstone, several other local contractors, such as Brent Peterson and Victory Homes, showcased Energy Star-rated homes during the Green Homes Show last June in Liberty Lake.

Several homes in the River District on Meyers Road and Indiana Avenue are rated with at least three stars and are still available for tours.

Green homes have added value because they are built with sustainability in mind, said Hunnel, director of sales and marketing for Greenstone. Sustainability is one of the factors in the Built Green rating system.

The Built Green Council also awards points for using recycled materials in the construction process. For example, Greenstone's Alpine house on Meyers Road in Liberty Lake has nylon carpet made from recycled pop bottles.

Indoor air quality also is a category for points in the green home rating system. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are pollutants that can be inhaled and are found in some new homes.

"It's that smell when you first walk into a new home," Green said. "It's actually bad for you to breathe it."

Using low-VOC carpet and adhesives in homes costs extra but earns points.

Other simple modifications, such as a showerhead using less water, earn points and return the benefits "full circle," Hunnel said.

Incentives for energy efficiency
The higher cost of energy-efficient building and appliances comes back in the form of lower utility bills and other incentives.

"People who live here should never see a power bill," Green, the Realtor, said of one of the River District's energy-efficient homes, the four-star Purus.

Through summer, homeowners earn credits for using less power than they generate, and in winter, they spend the earned credits.

Chris Drake, Avista's lead energy efficiency program manager, said homeowners still will receive a mailed bill indicating when the credits are earned and spent. Even though the credits carry over month to month, they are zeroed out at the start of the new year.

Avista Utilities also offers customers incentives to use energy more efficiently to reduce a home's carbon footprint.

Avista's "Buck-A-Block" option is a volunteer program that allows customers to pay a little extra on their monthly bill to buy "green tags" or energy from a renewable source.

"Customers will offset their environmental impact and reduce their carbon footprint," Drake said.