PRESS RELEASE: 20 Years and 20,000 Certifications for Built Green

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Nona Raybern, Public Relations & Media Manager
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
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20 Years and 20,000 Certifications for Built Green

Western Washington green building program hits major milestone in achievement

Built Green, a green building certification program, has reached its 20,000th certification in just 20 years of operation. Founded in 1999 by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, King County, and Snohomish County, the program set out to transform the building market to reduce the environmental impact of construction.

The Built Green® program has far exceeded the original expectations. As of June 2020, Built Green has certified over 20,000 single-family and multifamily projects, creating 36,000+ green households in the Puget Sound region. In 2019, 73% of all new single-family homes built in Seattle were Built Green certified.

This important work has culminated in massive environmental gains for the area. Based on models developed by the City of Seattle, impact calculations reveal that Built Green homes are significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions, water use, runoff, and construction waste.

The total portfolio of Built Green projects conserve nearly 221 million gallons of potable water each year and prevent 185 million gallons of polluted stormwater runoff from harming vulnerable salmon runs.
The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from Built Green certified projects is equivalent to 2,244 cars removed from the road each year, with over 21 million pounds of CO₂ annually not emitted.
Certified homes result in saving 68,549 MWh per year.
Nearly 100,000 tons of construction waste has been diverted from landfills to recycling facilities since Built Green’s inception.

The 20,000th building certification was awarded to a home, built by TC Legend Homes, located in Everson, WA. This single-family home is a 5-Star and Net Zero Energy certified home. It exemplifies how the Built Green program’s influence has grown and incentivized sustainable building across Western Washington. Some of its qualifications include:

Net-positive home that produces more energy than it uses with a with a 12.43 kW roof PV array
Indoor airPLUS certified
100% stormwater infiltrated on site
20% water-use reduction using all WaterSense-certified fixtures
21% of the lot was granted in perpetuity to Whatcom County as conservation easement

Set on 4.93 acres among Washington’s coastal wetland plains, this 2,538 square foot home in Everson, WA recognizes the importance of conserving wetland habitats and the wildlife it supports.

More information on the 20,000th certification project

About Built Green

Built Green is a holistic green home certification program of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, established in partnership with King and Snohomish counties in 1999. In addition to certifying green homes, remodels, multifamily buildings, and communities, Built Green hosts a membership network of companies and individuals involved in the green building industry, conducts research, and markets the social and environmental benefits of green building. The program’s mission is to serve as the driving force for environmentally sound design, construction, and development practices in the state of Washington’s cities and communities. Since its inception, Built Green has certified more than 36,000 housing units and 20,000 buildings. The program has partnered with local governments and utilities to create green building incentive programs, which have helped spur uptake in the region.

Built Green Highlights

Site and Water

Over 80% stormwater from roof and site managed on site
EnergyStar qualified roof to reduce urban heat island effect
Bio-planters on roof and over 1,600 sf raised garden beds for urban gardening
Located in urban, amenity rich South Lake Union with frequent transit service within two blocks
Commissioned irrigation system to maximize water usage as appropriate for plantings
WaterSense certified plumbing fixtures for reduce water usage

Energy Efficiency

29% energy savings over the 2015 Washington State Energy Code
Programmable thermostats
High-efficiency heat pumps, above EnergyStar standards, in common areas
Exterior rigid insulation
100% LED lighting and EnergyStar appliances
300 W solar per 1,000 sf of space, for a total system of 16.8 kW

Stream Dexios Built Green 4-Star SLU apartment living room and kitchen

Stream Dexios Built Green 4-Star SLU apartment kitchen, hall, and desk space

Health and Indoor Air Quality

Low-toxicity jobsite operations
Low-VOC materials throughout
No carpeting in units
Extensive building envelope measures for superb moisture management
Radon-resistant construction using EPA standards

Materials Efficiency

Partnered with facility to send jobsite recyclables to a commingled recycling facility with rate of 90% diversion from landfill
Locally and regionally produced materials
ECOBATT insulation with over 65% recycled content
Durable siding: fiber cement panels, brick, and shou sugi ban

Stream Dexios Built Green 4-Star SLU apartment entrance patio

Stream Dexios Built Green 4-Star SLU apartment view from deck

stream-dexios-4-star-south-lake-union-apartments

Built Green™

05/16/2017

Member Story: TC Legend Homes

By Sadie July Normoyle, Built Green Coordinator

Ted Clifton Jr. has been involved with Built Green since 2009 and has built three projects with us, in addition to other homes outside of King and Snohomish counties. All of the projects certified through us by his company, TC Legend Homes, are 5-Star Built Green.

Ted was awarded Project of the Year at the 2016 Built Green Conference for his two-home net zero energy project in the Victory Heights neighborhood of Seattle. These homes were constructed using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)—one of the trademarks of Ted’s work. The homes include many advanced energy efficiency measures, in addition to the 9.5 kW solar arrays on each roof. They also meet 100% rainwater infiltration on site, have continuous exhaust ventilation, and used salvaged materials from the previous home. These projects were featured in a past Built Green Case Study.

Ted first became involved with Built Green because his father and a client encouraged him. He had already been building 3-Star Built Green homes in Bellingham, which inspired him to do even better. He originally started building sustainable and Built Green homes because he wanted the most stout, durable homes and thought Built Green was a good representation of the “epitome of green.” With his first net zero home, however, he realized that he could drastically reduce the amount of energy needed to maintain a home, or even eliminate it, and actually provide extra energy to power an electric car or two.

This point is often how he communicates the advantages of his projects, as compared to code built homes, to buyers. He explains that the homes make their own power, with some to spare. Ted has also found that the demand for these types of über green homes has been increasing. As he explained, he frequently gets ten or more emails a week from people wanting TC Legend Homes to build them a home.

2016 Built Green Conference Project of the Year by TC Legend Homes

Currently, he is working on an Emerald Star project that is pushing the boundaries of his company’s process even further. The house will make its own power and collect its own water. When asked what his favorite project so far is, he replied, “my current project, because it is always a step better than the last.”

In terms of the future, Ted is excited to see increases in efficiency in envelope systems, windows, heat pumps, and solar technology. He also mentions lighting, appliances, and toilets that just keep getting better and better. When talking about his company, he states that they are making a company whose movement is focused towards education and innovation and just building enough houses to continue their research and development.

In parting, Ted shared “our crew works three days per week, I commute in an electric car, and have a mullet.”

Thank you, Ted (and your mullet), for all your work with Built Green! We look forward to the projects you have coming up and are eager to see the completion of your first Emerald Star project!

member-story-tc-legend-homes

Built Green™

04/06/2021

McGraw 4-Star Condo Remodel

Like many condo remodels, the builder of this Built Green 4-Star project faced many hurdles set by the building’s condo/homeowner association (HOA). Building envelope upgrades, like adding insulation or installing new windows and a ductless mini-split heat pump, were off the table. Placing cistern on the deck to collect water for watering indoor plants wasn’t allowed, either.

Vital Stats	Section	Points
Location: Tacoma Star Level: 4-Star Checklist: Remodel Checklist	Site and Water	30
	Energy Efficiency	111
	Health and Indoor Air Quality	88
	Material Efficiency	90
	Total Score	319

The builder set out to overcome these obstacles by planning ahead, communicating his plans to the HOA board as far in advance as possible. He also sent notice of his plans, indicating that if he did not hear back from the board by a certain date, he would take it as approval to move forward. This allowed him to keep a timely schedule.

Despite not being able to puncture the exterior walls to make energy-saving improvements, the builder was still able to reduce the unit’s overall energy consumption by over 30% compared to its reference home. A combination of indoor storm windows, a heat recovery ventilator (HRV), a heat pump water heater add-on, heat pump dryer, 100% Energy Star appliances, and 100% LED lighting allow for significant savings! WaterSense certified fixtures, a low-water-use dishwasher and clothes washer, and removing the existing garbage disposal also reduce water consumption, which ultimately save energy on water heating!

In addition to saving energy, the HRV significantly improves the indoor air quality. An HRV supplies outdoor fresh air while tempering cold air as it comes in. With a HEPA filter, this reduces pollutants carried in from outside—so valuable as wildfire events become more frequent in the Seattle area. The builder also selected interior finish products that are no- and low-VOC, Green Guard certified, and FloorScore certified, meeting stricter standards for indoor air quality.

Removing the carpet initially wasn’t allowed, due to sound requirements, so the builder took the time to educate the HOA board where he could. Armed with information, he demonstrated the sound qualities of carpet vs. cork flooring with cork underlayment and was able to convince the board to approve replacing the existing carpet with hard-surface cork flooring.

McGraw Built Green 4-Star Seattle condo remodel living and dining room

McGraw Built Green 4-Star Seattle condo remodel floor plan

McGraw Built Green 4-Star Seattle condo remodel entryway

Shared walls and a pandemic meant the builder had to be extra cognizant of neighbors’ work from home needs. He built a good relationship with the neighbors, letting them know a remodel was happening, exchanging contact info, and offering to pause work when neighbors needed quiet to hold video meetings.

The tight urban setting brought daily logistical challenges, from difficulty removing construction waste and debris to limited parking for construction vehicles. The secure building entry caused additional problems around new material deliveries. To reduce waste coming out of the unit and deliveries going in, the builder creatively repurposed existing materials, cabinetry, shelving, and lighting fixtures wherever possible. Items not remaining where carefully deconstructed and brought to Second Use Salvage and Building Materials, appliance recyclers, Habitat for Humanity, and friends. Drywall, Styrofoam, and other recyclable materials were brought to DTC Recycle in Seattle.

Another valuable decision the builder made? Working with an NAR Green certified real estate agent. Certification gave the agent the ability to confidently describe the value of individual green building upgrades to potential buyers.

McGraw Built Green 4-Star Seattle condo remodel kitchen

McGraw Built Green 4-Star Seattle condo remodel bathroom