Certifiably Green
Heritage Buildings provides the option for your home to meet or exceed the standards for green certification by ENERGY STAR®. The features explained below should help guide you in your decision on whether or not you want a green home.

We also offer LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, an internationally-recognized green building certification system. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in key areas.

Your home acts as a container where a tight seal is optional. A home's thermal shell is one of the most vital components of energy efficiency. Below are several features your home may be built with to increase the efficiency of the thermal shell. Some of these features are standard, but most of them are optional.

• Performance Framing
  By using advanced framing techniques like sealed attic knee-walls and ladder framing, your home has the option to be designed, built, and tested to ensure the tightest possible thermal shell.
• R-38 Blown-in Ceiling Insulation
  This blown-in insulation provides a better barrier and superior protection from hot and cold air loss. Insulation slows and reduces the amount of heat transfer in and out of a home.
• R-15 Blown-in Fiberglass or Cellulose Insulation
• Radiant Roof Barrier
  An optional aluminum barrier on the underside of your roof reflects heat from the sun. This keeps your attic and home significantly cooler and more comfortable, reducing heat transfer by up to 40%.
• Low-E, Argon-Gas Windows
• 10" heel trusses
  These improve the insulation coverage.
• Dept. of Energy, Building America Standard
  If you choose this option, your home will rate 60 or less on the E-Scale. For explanation of the E-scale, scroll down to the Energy Scale portion of this page. Your home will be at least 40% more efficient than a typical new home, and this equates to 40% or more savings on your energy bill.
• Independent Testing and Certification
  Your home can be independently tested and certified by Department of Energy Representative. Anyone can claim they are building energy efficient homes. Having the home energy tested proves that your new home is indeed energy efficient and meets certain required standards and ratings.

The options that follow will help create a more airtight and comfortable home. This contributes to the efficacy of the thermal shell and also affects the quality of air in your home.

• Zero VOC Paint
  Our interior paint is virtually odor free and contains no VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds). It meets or exceeds stringent regulatory requirements for healthier air.
• Zero duct leakage to outside
• Merv 8 whole house filter
• Expanding foam to seal all exterior openings
  New home normally have small openings, and Heritage Buildings provides you with the option have your home sealed using expanding foam. This prevents moisture damage, reduces heat transfer, and controls indoor air quality. This foam can also be used to insulate your home and ensure all leakage is at a minimum.
• Fresh Air System
  This revolutionary ventilation system introduces fresh, clean air into the home while keeping hot, dirty air outside. It maintains positive pressure, improves indoor air quality, and heightens the overall efficiency of the HVAC.

The following options pertain to the HVAC system and steps that may be taken to create a healthier indoor evironment.

• 16 SEER HVAC
  2.8 ton high efficienty, CFC/HCFC free refrigerant, heat pump. This efficient air conditioning system can be designed and placed inside the thermal envelope of the home for maximum comfort and efficiency. It exceeds federal and state energy code requirements.
• Engineered HVAC and Duct System
  Typically, a house plan details the framing, trim, interior trim, plumbing, electrical, and everything else imaginable save for a HVAC and Duct System. As energy costs are rising, Heritage Building has taken the initiative by hiring specialists to design these systems for all our floor plans.
• Air handler
  The variable speed air handler reduces noises and increases energy efficiency. When housed in an air-conditioned space, it eliminates unnecessary heating and cooling.
• Programmable Thermostat
  A programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature of your home throughout the day, including those times you are out and about. This is one of the easiest ways to save energy and, therefore, money.

The links provided are to the Department of Energy, where you may further explore these options.

• Solar Hot Water Heater
  We offer solar domestic hot water systems (64 sq. ft. collector) with 120 gallon storage and drain back tank.
• Tankless Water Heater
  Tankless propane water heaters only produce hot water when needed. This reduces the amount of standby energy used, so these heaters can be 24-34% more efficient compared to storage water heaters.

• 100% Fluorescent Bulbs
  These light bulbs use less energy and money, give you the same amount of light, last longer, and produce considerably less heat. They will keep your home cooler while saving you money.
• Solar Power
  6.75kWp Sunpower 225 PV System (inverter av. eff.=0.97)
• ENERGY STAR® Appliances

Click image to enlarge.

The E-Scale is an easy-to-understand tool developed by the Department of Energy to help consumers make smart decisions when purchasing, renting, or updating a home. It is designed to provide clear, objective answers to basic questions:

1. Will this home help me save money on energy bills?
2. How many "miles per gallon" does this home get?
3. How does it compare to a typical new home?
4. How close is it to the "ultimate" — a Net-Zero Energy Home?

Your home can be tested and certified by a Department of Energy representative to determine the energy performance or E-Scale score of the home. In terms of interpreting the scale, a home achieving 60 on the EnergySmart Home Scale will use 60% as much energy as a typical new home. This translates to about 40% savings for energy use on utility bills compared to a typical new home.

Typical new home represents the energy performance of a home built to code (2006 IECC) and scores a 100 on the E-Scale.

Typical existing home represents the average energy performance of the existing housing stock, which is 130 on the E-Scale.

A Net-zero energy home annually produces as much energy as it consumes. It has renewable sources of energy collected on the site and used in the home (e.g., solar, wind).

For a more dynamic demonstration of possible energy savings, visit the Department of Energy's interactive E-scale page.

Below is a brief explanation of HERS Index, or the values on the E-scale that equate a home's verifiable "MPG" calculation.

• The HERS (Home Energy Rating System) Index, as provided by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) or other certified HERS raters, is an energy-efficiency scoring system based on the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
• The HERS Index was developed by the US Department of Energy to streamline verification of a building’s relative energy usage versus consumption. It is the recognized standard.
• A building is scored from zero to one hundred, where each point equals a 1% increase in energy consumption. So, a home with an excellent HERS Index of 50 uses half the energy of a home that scores an Index of 100, the 2006 IECC code minimum. A Net-Zero Energy Home has a HERS rating of 0 and consumes no more energy than it uses in the course of a year.

With state-of-the-art design and building science engineering, high-performance homes can save a significant amount of energy and even more when employing energy-producing technology, such as solar thermal (hot water) and photovoltaic systems.

A Team Systems Approach engaging the home designer, building science engineer and builder is an effective approach to achieving great results with a low HERS Index. The process begins at the drawing board by analyzing:

1. The home’s placement on the lot, the AC/heating delivery systems, over-hangs for shading, etc.
2. Construction methods that allow for sufficient insulation, yielding required R-Value in the walls, flooring, attic, ceilings, etc.
3. The building materials such as windows, doors, flooring, ceiling fans, appliances, etc. Using the latest software, a RESNET or Building Science professional can accurately estimate a home’s energy usage before it is built, and provide consultation before and after the home is completed.
4. Verify energy efficiency and overall “Air Tightness” of the home.

• Significantly reduce or even eliminate costly energy bills.
• Qualify for a more favorable Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM).
• Better air quality and a more comfortable home for your family.
• Reduce the impact on the environment with a more sustainable home.