By Talia Haller, Built Green Intern, University of Washington Student

Founded in 1999, the Built Green Program has grown a lot in the past 17 years. To date, Built Green has certified over 16,618 projects, representing almost 30,000 units. At Built Green, we’ve focused on growing in many different ways, but there are three core growth dimensions Built Green is especially proud to see on the rise.

1. Total Number of Built Green Certifications

   During Built Green’s first full year of certifying projects in 2001, 700 projects were certified Built Green, representing 971 units. Before the recession, Built Green™ was experiencing large volumes of project certifications. While the crash absolutely affected the program, we’ve been growing ever since, even in spite of the program also growing in rigor (such as updated checklists and third-party verification being required at all levels). Last year, in 2015, more than 900 projects were certified Built Green, representing 2,387 units. This year, we’re on track to beat last year’s numbers by a significant margin. With over four months left to go in 2016, Built Green has already certified 634 projects this year, which represents 1,578 units.
   
    
   
    
   
   
2. Total Number of Builders Involved
   
   While Built Green certified a fair amount of projects in 2001 (700 projects), all of this work was done by only two builders: Quadrant Homes & Habitat for Humanity. One of Built Green’s core objectives is to be an inclusive program, available and appealing to all builders whether they’re constructing multifamily homes or single-family homes, or doing a remodel or another type of home building project. In 2005, when the housing market was on the rise, Built Green had expanded its reach more than 10-fold: During 2005, 26 builders certified more than 1,200 projects. Even better, the number of builders using Built Green to certify their projects has only continued to increase as the Built Green program gains legitimacy and recognition, as builders increasingly grow to see the importance of environmentally-friendly construction, and as demand continues to shift towards more sustainably built homes. From 2001 to 2015, the number of builders increased almost 50-fold, with over 100 builders certifying their projects last year.
   
   
   
   
3. Total Number of 4-Star & 5-Star Certifications Increasing
   
   When the program started in 2001, there were no 4-star or 5-star certified projects completed – only 2-Star and 3-Star. In fact, the program hadn’t even created parameters for these higher levels yet. But, as can be seen in the graphics below, over the years, more and more builders are shooting for ever-higher star-levels in their projects. 5-Star projects in particular are on the rise, as can be seen in the very bottom graph. At the moment, 4-Star makes up the bulk of our certifications, despite it representing a significant jump in requirements from 3-Star. Higher star-levels indicate increased energy and water efficiency measures, homes built with a larger amount of sustainable materials, and homes that will have better indoor air quality.
   
   
   
   
   
   

Takeaways?

Over the years, Built Green has been slowly building its popularity, credibility, and value in the Puget Sound region. We are proud of both the growth we’ve already achieved and the growth we see coming in the future. Stay updated on Built Green activities by following our blog! The next blog in the Built Green Growth series will explore:

• How Seattle’s Hot Housing Market Can Benefit Built Green

Built Green 4-Star project by Denizen Development LLC

Most builders pursuing Built Green certification quickly realize that the energy model of their project is one of the keys to achieving a given star-level. Almost all Built Green star-levels for nearly all certification types (Community certification and Refit certification being the exceptions) require an energy model.

How does this work? Why is this the case? Let us explain.

What is an energy model?

An energy model is a projection of how much energy a home will use, given its design and equipment. Energy models are extensively researched and widely accepted, but they are also an estimate of how much energy a home will use. There is no way to account for certain variables, occupant behavior being a big one. However, models can be very useful tools for judging a home’s efficiency and for comparing the likely benefits of different efficiency strategies.

There are many ways to perform an energy model and models may vary in their intricacy, in part due to different software tools that can be used. Built Green’s modeling protocol is based on the software REM/Rate for single-family models and on eQuest for larger, multifamily models. 

Built Green’s… modeling protocol?

Yes, Built Green has a modeling protocol to ensure that projects are all being modeled the same way. On top of the different modeling tools, modeling is not an exact science and two different modelers could make two different decisions in how to account for certain components, with neither necessarily incorrect. To standardize our process and make sure that Built Green certification means the same thing for different projects, Built Green introduced modeling protocols to guide third-party verifiers and modeling experts. The protocols are designed with the input of experts and with the aim of making Built Green as accessible as possible for builders, while at the same time ensuring Built Green qualifies for various incentives. Third-party verifiers are a great resource for questions about modeling since they are the ones who often do the model or who work with the person doing the model.

So why a model?

Built Green is a certification that represents a building’s environmental gains above code. One of these gains is energy efficiency. Thus, projects need to demonstrate to Built Green that their energy consumption will be less than a similar code home and Built Green needs to demonstrate to governments and utilities that offer green building incentives that the program is meeting expectations. A model does just that.

What does the model show exactly?

Since Built Green is a regional certification, we look at improvement beyond the Washington State Energy Code. Models, therefore, show the percentage improvement of a Built Green home over its performance had it only been built to code. In other words, a model shows how much energy a home would use with code-compliant design and equipment and how much energy it would use as actually designed—the difference between the two being the energy reduction achieved by green upgrades and smart design. Built Green requires a 10% improvement over code for 3-Star certification, 20% for 4-Star, and 30% for 5-Star. Emerald Star homes must be net zero energy, which means these homes must consume the same or less energy than they produce via renewable energy in a year. These levels ensure Built Green certification carries meaning and acts a basis for incentives that benefit green builders.

Models are complicated; there is no doubt about that! Hopefully this post explains their purpose and how Built Green utilizes them. If you want to do a deep dive into the details of our modeling protocol, reach out to your third-party verifier for project specifics or to us for general information!