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 Welcome to the Earthcraft House
In 2007, Black Hawk Building Group earned the designation of EarthCraft House builder, the first in Upper East Tennessee. The program is one of many in the US promoting environmentally sustainable, energy and resource efficient construction practices and techniques. In summer 2008, the first two EarthCraft houses were completed. Pairing the EarthCraft House and with a New Urban community was a clear, decisive next step in the evolution of New Halifax.
EarthCraft House is a green building program that serves as a blueprint for healthy comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment. Building an EarthCraft House is about constructing a healthy, more valuable home while minimizing environmental impacts. EarthCraft House follows a systems approach to home building that stresses an understanding of how the different components of a home work together. This approach results in a home that performs better, is more economical for the homeowner and costs little more to build than a comparable home built with standard construction practices.
The energy sources used by homes can contribute to global warming and other serious environmental problems. Also, the materials used in the construction and maintenance of a home can deplete natural resources. EarthCraft House can increase the energy efficiency of a home by 30% which can result in a reduction of over 1100 pounds of greenhouse gases introduced into the atmosphere each year. In addition, EarthCraft homes can conserve water and reduce stormwater pollution. Finally, by promoting recycling and the use of durable, low maintenance, recycled, and rapidly renewable materials, EarthCraft House helps to ensure our homes conserve natural resources and protect ecosystem biodiversity. EarthCraft homes are truly "sensibly built for the environment."
Energy Mortgages An energy mortgage takes a home's energy efficiency into account in the home loan, often making it possible to increase the loan amount that the buyer can borrow. An energy mortgage can give the homebuyer the ability to buy a higher quality home due to the lower monthly operating costs of an energy efficient home. Money saved in utility bills can offset higher monthly mortgage payments.
There are two types of energy mortgages: 1. Energy Efficient Mortgage – Lower operating costs of a new energy efficient home increases the buyer's purchasing power.
2. Energy Improvement Mortgage – Lower operating costs from energy efficient upgrades finances these upgrades for an existing home.
For more information, contact your lender and visit the links below:
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development:
Residential Energy Services Network: http://www.resnet.us/ratings/overview/default.htm
EarthCraft House overview New Homes EarthCraft House allows builders great flexibility in achieving environmental performance. To achieve EarthCraft House certification, homes must meet ENERGY STAR certification criteria, including achieving passing scores from diagnostic tests for air infiltration and duct leakage.
In addition, each house must achieve a minimum of 150 points from a scoring sheet. Select and Premium status are awarded to homes that meet additional criteria and achieve 200 and 230 points, respectively. All EarthCraft certified homes will also be awarded ENERGY STAR certification.
EarthCraft House guidelines include the following categories:
Why "go green"? A green home has the potential to:
For more information on an EarthCraft House, speak with Steve or LaDonna Bacon at Black Hawk Building Group. |
"All Information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified"