Mountain Developer Building Luxury Homes "Green"
3/25/2008
Source: Grand ParkAuthor: Kirsten Laraby
Grand Park, a thoughtfully planned mountain community at the edge of Winter Park, Colorado, has been recognized as the only community in Grand County to earn its Built Green Colorado certification.
Introduced in 1995, Built Green Colorado was created through the joint efforts of the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver, The Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation, Xcel Energy, and E-Star Colorado. Built Green certification provides independent, third party verification that a building project meets energy efficiency requirements and a menu of options addressing a range of "green" items from which a builder must select a minimum number. Only homes registered in the program may receive the Built Green designation.
Said Clark Lipscomb, President of Grand Park, “It’s vitally important to us that we offer a real estate product that is not only the highest quality, but also one that reflects our values of being socially responsible and earth-friendly. We’ve focused on creating a community for people who care about reducing their carbon footprint, so this certification is a great honor.”
From Warmboard in-floor radiant heat, which reduces wood and material usage as well as lowers energy costs by as much as 20%, to environmentally-friendly Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) insulation that has the nation’s top performance rating and virtually eliminates air leakage, no detail in the home has been overlooked. Even outside the home, Grand Park collects lumber scraps during construction and ships them to A1 Organics in Eaton, Colorado for recycling. There they are turned into organic mulch and composting material. By recycling construction waste, Grand Park is saving literally tons of material from consuming space at landfills.
The Built Green certified homes in Grand Park:
• Lower energy and operating costs and increase asset value.
• Reduce waste sent to landfills.
• Conserve energy and water.
• Are healthier and safer for occupants.
• Reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
• Demonstrate an owner's commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
The energy efficiency of a home is measured by a Home Energy Rating, accomplished through a detailed technical inspection and testing by a certified Rater, and analyzed by an accredited Home Energy Rating System (HERS). On the HERS scale, 100 points represents a home that is built to code.
Each point subtracted from 100 represents a 1% increase in energy efficiency. The homes at Grand Park are receiving an average score of 66, indicating that the homes are 34% more efficient than a standard code home and are recognized by E-Star with a 5 Star Plus rating, the highest rating possible.
“We believe it takes much more than simply installing Energy Star appliances to build truly green homes,” Lipscomb says. “It’s really a mindset about how you create the entire community.” In fact, an environmentally conscious “Smart Growth” philosophy guides Grand Park. Smart Growth is a land use concept that benefits communities and preserves the natural environment. Smart Growth strategies at Grand Park include a compact, walkable, bicycle-friendly community design that keeps density concentrated and combats sprawl, and a series of interconnected trails that reduce the need for cars and cut down on traffic.
About Grand Park: With a nod to the more traditional pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods of years past, Grand Park is a thoughtfully designed community located adjacent to Winter Park, Colorado with a focus on connecting residents to each other and their environment. Offering an appealing mix of Craftsman-style homes, homesites, and town homes, Grand Park is committed to an efficient and responsible use of space both inside and outside the home. Hundreds of acres in the 1,330-acre community have been preserved as open space and an extensive trail system of both paved and natural paths is planned. For more information, please contact Grand Park, at 970-726-8700 or sales@grandparkco.com.
