Green engineering A new kind of environmentally friendly, energy and resource efficient home building program will be unveiled at the Building Industry Association's 2001 Parade of Homes beginning Saturday.
on parade
Energy-saving designs will be
featured at this year's Hawaii
Building Industry Association
Parade of HomesBy Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.comThe program has already found support among Hawaii's building industry and design professionals, many of whom were involved in creating it.
While Hawaii's newer homes now incorporate some energy-efficient features, this years Parade of Homes goes a step further. It will be the first time homes competing in the event will be judged partly based on a set of criteria developed specifically for the "Hawaii BuiltGreen" program.
Installing such features as a solar water heating system and a radiant barrier system in the ceiling to help keep heat out, as well as designing a home to take advantage of natural ventilation, are three main criteria of the Hawaii BuiltGreen program.
The BuiltGreen program began on the mainland. It has been embraced nationally as a model by the Building Industry Association. But it was the local chapter of the BIA, partnering with other organizations, that adapted the BuiltGreen criteria for Hawaii conditions.
Those who joined in the venture included Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; the American Institute of Architects, Hawaii Chapter; Hawaiian Electric Co.; Department of Hawaiian Homelands and Honsador Lumber Co.
DBEDT
The Hawaii BuiltGreen specifications include ceiling
vents (top), radiant shields under the roof (center) and
wall vents (bottom), which are all designed to cool
the home without the use of electrical air conditioners.
The first home constructed to BuiltGreen Hawaii specifications recently made its debut on a Department of Hawaiian Homelands parcel in Waianae.The BuiltGreen project kicked off in Hawaii about three years ago. DBEDT helped obtain an initial federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to get things started, said Energy Program Specialist for DBEDT Dean Masai, who worked on the grant.
Guidelines for Hawaii's architects, home builders and developers were then created to help design and build more energy and resource efficient homes. The guidelines culminated in a book and a checklist that is now used by builders to certify new homes as BuiltGreen.
The hope is that one day all new homes in Hawaii would meet BuiltGreen specifications, Masai said.
That checklist will be the basis of some awards to be handed out at this year's Parade of Homes, with homes given a number of stars based on how well they meet the criteria.
>> Houses are open Oct. 6, 7, 13 and 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parade of Homes
>> The Official Parade of Homes 2001 Guidebook is available at Bank of Hawaii, The Home Depot, Hardware Hawaii, Furnitureland/Zee Interiors and Wayne's Carpet.
Hawaiian Electric will award its "Energy Value Housing Awards" for the first time, said Sharon Suzuki, program manager for HECO's Energy Services Department.
The BuiltGreen concept is a good fit with what HECO is already trying to accomplish with its customer rebate programs for energy-efficient homes, she said.
Taking advantage of Hawaii's climate is a key component of a BuiltGreen home's design, said DBEDT's Masai.
"There are certain things that make homes energy and resource efficient in Hawaii," he said.
Designs that encompass lots of natural light and ventilation, helping to cut down over-use of lighting and air conditioning systems, are just some of the features of such a home. But the checklist is quite extensive, Masai said. Even how well the home's landscaping system helps in water conservation is covered.