Building ENERGY STAR® Qualified Homes and Incorporating Energy Efficiency and “Green” Building Practices into HOME-funded Affordable Housing U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Community Planning and Development Building ENERGY STAR® Qualified Homes and Incorporating Energy Efficiency and “Green” Building Practices into HOME-funded Affordable Housing 2008 Prepared by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Community Planning and Development Table of Contents Introduction.......................................................................................................................................................................1 Purpose of the Guidebook............................................................................................................................................... 1 Organization of the Guidebook ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Who Benefits from Using this Guidebook?................................................................................................................... 2 About the HOME Model Program Guides ................................................................................................................... 2 Chapter 1: ENERGY STAR® and Energy Efficiency in Affordable Housing: Benefits to the Environment, Residents, Properties, PJs, and HUD............................................................................................................3 1.1. Energy Efficiency and Green Housing—A Growing Trend............................................................................ 3 1.2. Why Promote Efficiency and Green Building Techniques in Affordable Housing?...................................... 5 1.3. Benefits of Energy Efficiency in Affordable Housing....................................................................................... 7 1.4. Benefits to HUD and Its Key Programs............................................................................................................. 8 1.5. HUD’s Priorities for Moving Forward ............................................................................................................... 8 Attachment 1-1: HUD’s Energy Strategy: Summary of Actions...................................................................................................11 Chapter 2: ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes ............................................................................................................. 13 2.1. What Is the ENERGY STAR Program? .......................................................................................................... 13 2.2. ENERGY STAR and Housing.......................................................................................................................... 14 2.3. What Is an ENERGY STAR Qualified Home?............................................................................................... 15 2.4. ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes Standards and Requirements................................................................. 15 2.5. Certifying ENERGY STAR for New Homes.................................................................................................. 17 2.6. Who Are the Key Actors Involved?.................................................................................................................. 17 2.7. What Are the Main Components of a Typical ENERGY STAR Home? ..................................................... 18 2.8. What Are the Benefits and Advantages of Achieving ENERGY STAR Label? .......................................... 21 2.9. Costs and Savings for ENERGY STAR Qualified Home.............................................................................. 22 2.10. What Technical and Financial Resources Are Available to Support Achieving ENERGY STAR for New Homes Label?....................................................................................................................................... 22 2.11. Energy Efficient Mortgages ............................................................................................................................... 22 2.12. ENERGY STAR Bulk Purchasing.................................................................................................................... 23 Attachment 2-1: The Whole House Approach to ENERGY STAR ...........................................................................................24 Attachment 2-2: HERS Rating System .............................................................................................................................................28 Attachment 2-3: Financial Resources for Energy Efficiency.........................................................................................................31 Attachment 2-4: Technical Assistance and Support........................................................................................................................34 Chapter 3: Incorporating ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes into HOME-Funded Activities ..................................37 3.1. ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes and HOME PJs...................................................................................... 37 3.2. HOME-Funded Activities Suitable for ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes................................................ 37 3.3. Key Steps When Incorporating ENERGY STAR into HOME-Funded Activities..................................... 39 3.4. Good Practices to Support Success................................................................................................................... 45 Attachment 3-1: HOME-Funded Certified ENERGY STAR Units by State (FY 2007)..........................................................48 Attachment 3-2: HERS Raters in United States, by State ..............................................................................................................49 Chapter 4: Incorporating Energy Efficiency Measures into Moderate Rehabilitation and Other Activities .............. 51 4.1. Steps to Incorporate Energy Efficiency Improvements into Rehabilitation Activities ................................ 52 4.2. Energy Efficiency Features for HOME-Funded Activities ............................................................................ 58 4.3. Typical Low-Cost Features ................................................................................................................................58 4.4. Typical Moderate- to High-Cost Features ........................................................................................................ 63 4.5. Methods for Selecting Energy Efficiency Measures to Use in HOME-Funded Activities.......................... 65 4.6. HOME-Funded Activity: Development of Multi-Unit Properties Greater than Three Stories.................. 68 4.7. Steps to Incorporate Energy Efficiency Measures into HOME-Funded Development of Large Multi-Unit Buildings............................................................................................................................ 69 4.8. Homeowner and Occupant Education ............................................................................................................. 71 Attachment 4-1: Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Locations.....................................................................................72 Attachment 4-2: Calculating Preliminary Feasibility for Installing Combined Heat and Power in an Apartment Building .73 Chapter 5: Incorporating Green Building Practices that Improve Housing Performance ..........................................77 5.1. What are “Green” Building Practices?...............................................................................................................77 5.2. What Does “Green” Mean?................................................................................................................................77 5.3. Benefits to Building Green .................................................................................................................................78 5.4. Green Building Guidelines .................................................................................................................................78 5.5. Key Steps When Incorporating Green Building Practices...............................................................................80 5.6. Green Building Practices.....................................................................................................................................81 5.7. Site Design............................................................................................................................................................83 5.8. Green Building Materials ....................................................................................................................................84 5.9. Resource Efficiency.............................................................................................................................................85 5.10. Renewable Energy ...............................................................................................................................................85 5.11. Water Management..............................................................................................................................................88 5.12. Healthy Home Design.........................................................................................................................................89