Residential building

Residential green building has vaulted into the limelight, with increasing concern about rising energy prices, negative health impacts of building materials, stormwater runoff polluting local lakes and rivers, and accelerating climate change.

Fortunately, a number of new tools and standards have been developed to help Minnesota residents, homebuilders, construction trades, designers, and remodelers make our homes healthier, more efficient and easier on the environment. The MPCA Green Building team has been involved in most of these initiatives, either directly or as a voting or advisory member of participating organizations.

The Eco Experience at the Minnesota State Fair

Each year, MPCA provides the opportunity for fairgoers to experience Green Building firsthand at the Eco Experience with an eco home or community built on site. The hands-on installation illustrates opportunities to save energy and water, use materials efficiently, maintain a healthy indoor environment, and protect the outdoor environment while developing closer connections in the neighborhood. Private partners donate all goods, materials, and labor for the exhibit, which is coordinated by MPCA staff.

Connect with this exhibit year round by visiting the Eco Experience web site, where you can find links to the featured products and vendors, as well as more photos of the exhibit.

Greening your home

A green building is healthy and comfortable for its occupants and is economical to operate. Energy, water, raw materials and land are used more effectively to minimize waste, pollution and global warming.

GreenBuildingAdvisor.com (From the publishers of Environmental Building News and Fine Homebuilding)
A comprehensive online "treasure chest" of residential green building and remodeling information. Targeted audiences include design, building & remodeling professionals and knowledgeable homeowners. Free access to product discussions, case studies, and a community forum. Full access to the site (including extensive information on construction strategies and product choices) requires a paid membership.

 Green Building: A healthier, more efficient home helps our environment provides a list of simple strategies for greening up your home while saving energy and reducing your global-warming impact.

The Green Home Guide (U.S. Green Building Council)
Among the best new sources of information, the online Green Home Guide provides a one-stop-shop for residential green building information—an overview of what makes a green home, sustainable lifestyle tips, incentives for going green, case studies, green retrofit checklist, links to REGREEN and LEED for Homes, and more.

Green remodeling

Minnesota GreenStar Certified Green Remodeling
Minnesota’s own green remodeling certification program was developed by a partnership of remodelors, builders and environmental and green building advocates, supported by an MPCA Environmental Assistance grant. Comprehensive guidelines help homeowners and contractors select measures to create healthy, durable homes. Download free Green Remodeling Checklist and Manual.

REGREEN Residential Remodeling Guidelines
A project developing best-practice guidelines and targeted educational resources for sustainable residential remodeling projects. A partnership of the American Society of Interior Designers’ Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council.

Green Remodeling: Tips for Minnesota Homeowners (300Kb)
Remodeling an existing home can be one of the most environmentally friendly, resource-efficient actions that a homeowner can take. Renovation offers the opportunity to reduce home energy demands, reduce home maintenance costs, and increase comfort efficiently and cost-effectively. When compared to new construction, remodeling tends to use materials and natural resources more efficiently. We offer suggestions for “greening” one’s home renovation efforts.

Green Bathroom Remodeling Guide.  An excellent resource when considering options for updating your bathroom.

New homes

Green Communities Criteria and the 2007 Minnesota Overlay
This initiative to foster creation of affordable, healthier, and more energy-efficient homes throughout Minnesota has become the largest green building program in the state, with 190 units completed, 423 under construction, and another 1,223 under development. Such success is due in large part to mandatory requirements by Minnesota Housing that new construction projects meet the Criteria and Overlays. Visit the website for the Green Communities Criteria Checklist, Single Family and Multifamily Minnesota Overlays, case studies of Minnesota demonstration projects, and downloadable files of 2008 Green by Design conference presentations.

Energy

Home Energy Guides | Minnesota Energy Info Center
Nineteen easy-to-use pamphlets with techniques, tactics, and tips about a variety of home-related energy issues. These guides run 8-12 pages long and include detailed instructions and illustrations.

The Eco-home at Hawk Ridge (Duluth) includes a grid-tied solar electric system and evacuated tube solar collectors to heat water for household use.

Solar Minnesota | www.solarminnesota.org
Part of the Million Solar Roofs Initiative, this site includes calculators for solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) installations, a Minnesota-specific solar map, tax credit and rebate information, and useful links.

A Consumer Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy | U.S. Department of Energy
This site provides extensive guidance on residential renewable energy installation such as solar and wind, as well as energy- efficient building technologies for design and remodeling. Explores the whole-house systems approach, zero energy homes, and much more.

Energy Efficient Rehab Advisor | Department of Housing and Urban Development
This user-friendly web-based tool from HUD guide homeowners, contractors, designers, and others on how to incorporate energy-efficiency improvements into the renovation process for existing homes or multifamily housing. Includes information on added costs, paybacks and savings for particular energy-efficiency measures on a room-by-room or project basis.

ENERGYHOG.org | Alliance to Save Energy
Features tips to save money and energy by getting rid of the energy hogs in your home. The site includes the ultimate checklist and no-cost/low-cost tips, home energy surveys and audit information, a children's website, and tax credit information for home energy efficiency and vehicle purchases.

Home Energy Briefs | Rocky Mountain Institute
A series of nine practical guides describing what the average homeowner can do to save energy. These comprehensive, but easy-to-understand guides explore options more thoroughly than is typical of consumer publications.

Financing

Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs) give borrowers the opportunity to finance cost-effective, energy-saving measures as part of a single mortgage and stretch debt-to-income qualifying ratios on loans thereby allowing borrowers to qualify for a larger loan amount and a better, more energy-efficient home. The Energy Star Web site includes a searchable list of approved EEM lenders, with listings for Minnesota.

Minnesota Power's Triple E New Construction program is based on the concept of a "house as a system" and promotes energy-efficient construction and design through specific thermal and performance standards. Homeowners and builders can qualify for special incentive rebates up to $2,000 by meeting specific energy standards for thermal integrity (insulation, windows and doors, exterior wind barriers), airtight construction, moisture control, appliances, lighting, ventilation and heating system performance. The program is open to all residential new construction (maximum of four units per dwelling) built in Minnesota Power's service area in northeastern Minnesota.

Case studies

Millenium Star (Duluth) was a demonstration project, showing how to construct an innovative, high-efficiency home in a northern climate that can be heated and cooled for just $300 per year.

Eco-Home at Hawk Ridge (Duluth, Minn.) | www.ecohomeduluth.com
Built to educate the public about renewable technologies, this high-performance, resource-efficient model home also showcases environmentally responsible construction methods and materials, healthy indoor air quality, and energy efficiency.

Millenium Star (Duluth, Minn.) | www.mnpower.com/energyhome/
This residence was a Minnesota Power Conservation Improvement Project to construct an innovative, high-efficiency home in a northern climate that can be heated for $300 or less per year. Minnesota Power continues to monitor the home to track building performance and energy use.

The Sustainable House (Minneapolis) | http://livegreenlivesmart.org
Live Green, Live Smart's demonstration house in the Minneapolis suburbs showcases multiple redundant energy technologies including solar, combined heat and power (CHP), and geothermal, and explores how these systems work independently and side-by-side. The result is Minnesota GreenStar's first Gold-level home, and the first remodeled residence (stripped to the studs) to be certified Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Homes.

Twin Cities Solar Tour | www.SolarTour.net
The Minnesota Renewable Energy Society organizes this annual self-guided tour featuring exemplary homes, businesses, and institutions that have incorporated renewable energy into the design and operation of their buildings. These examples typically incorporate other green building features as well, such as recycled and salvaged materials, energy-efficient design, water conservation strategies, and Energy Star appliances.

Product suppliers

Finding Green Building Products | PDF (225Kb)
Green building looks at the whole house and how systems interrelate, including impacts on the health and comfort of occupants. Choosing products is an important part of the process. Here are some Minnesota sources of green building products and information resources.

Building for Health Materials Center | www.buildingforhealth.com
A central supplier for healthy, environmentally sound building materials and appliances.

Environmental Home Center | www.environmentalhomecenter.com
This online store in Seattle is a complete source for sustainable building materials including flooring/cabinets/countertops, paints/finishes, caulk/sealers/adhesives, cleaning supplies, bath fixtures, bedding, lumber products, and insulation/roofing. This site provides extensive information for each product such as color samples, tech sheets, MSDS, detailed installation instructions, and use and care tips. Founded by a residential contractor who decided to seek out sustainably made products that would perform as well and look as stylish as conventional ones without costing more. A great site to find out what characteristics to look for in various green products.

Links for builders

Construction Industry Compliance Center | www.cicacenter.org
CICA offers plain-language explanations of environmental rules for the construction industry. This information is provided free of charge by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences with the assistance of the Associated General Contractors of America and the National Association of Home Builders.

Energy Star for Homes | www.energystar.gov
The U.S. EPA Energy Star program shows that building and selling Energy Star-labeled homes benefits businesses, consumers, and the environment. The site includes technical resources and marketing materials tailored to the builder's needs.

HousingZone.com Green Building Forum | www.housingzone.com/forums/green/index.asp
Lots of information for builders and remodelers. Tracks articles on green building from around the country.

Minnesota Department of Commerce, Energy Division | www.commerce.state.mn.us
Consumer Info and Services >> Buildings and Builders
In its role as developer of the state energy code, the Energy Division's engineering and technical staff has assembled information concerning best construction practices for residential building design and energy efficiency. Includes links to the state building and energy codes.

ToolBase Services | www.toolbase.org
ToolBase is the homebuilding industry's technical information resource. It is a service of the NAHB Research Center, funded by private industry and HUD through the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) program.

Federal Stimulus Tax Credits for Home Improvements and Renewable Energy The recent federal stimulus bill has affected the tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements including windows and doors, insulation, HVAC, geothermal, water heaters, and biomass stoves. Homeowner tax credits for residential solar and wind systems and fuel cells. Tax credits available for home builders, too.