Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Day with DMME
Viridiant staff recently visited a single-family home under renovation by Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity and were joined by volunteers from the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy (DMME). The home is a 1,200 square foot cape-cod built in 1969 and located just outside the Randolph neighborhood in Richmond, VA. Like many Habitat homes, it is pursuing EarthCraft certification.
During the volunteer day, Viridiant’s Executive Director KC Bleile talked about the unique partnership between Viridiant and Habitat for Humanity as well as the history behind the EarthCraft program and its introduction into Virginia. Viridiant Technical Advisor Bill Riggs discussed the requirements associated with meeting the EarthCraft certification, HERS modeling, and the quality assurance provided through the inspection process. Additionally, blower door testing was conducted at the home to show the method for capturing envelope leakage and provide a first-hand demonstration to volunteers. This Habitat home has undergone extensive renovations: completely gutting the interior; re-insulating; installing brand new mechanical equipment, appliances, and finishes. These improvements will result in a much more comfortable, healthy, and energy-efficient home.
The benefits of green construction are especially apparent in affordable housing. That’s why Habitat for Humanity and other nonprofits partner with Viridiant. For families fighting their way out of poverty, energy-efficient homes represent a major step toward their American dream. Every gift to Viridiant pushes that dream forward, helping us touch more buildings, educate more industry professionals, and advocate for high performance construction. Whatever the amount, charitable contributions make our services more affordable, fuel research, and drive educational outreach. We hope you’ll stay involved in our vital work and consider making a tax-deductible gift.
$5M renovation wraps up at William Byrd
RichmondBizSense – – March 23, 2017
A nearly century-old building that’s spent the past two decades as senior apartments has been brought into the 21st century with a $5 million upgrade.
City officials and firms involved in the 18-month renovation of the William Byrd building, the 11-story former hotel across West Broad Street from the Science Museum of Virginia, celebrated the project’s completion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the lobby Wednesday morning.
Mayor Levar Stoney cut the ribbon alongside representatives of Richmond-based Project Homes, which purchased and renovated the former William Byrd Hotel in 1996 as low-income senior housing. Project Homes owns the building with Virginia Community Development Corp. through an entity called William Byrd Hotel Associates.
Other firms involved include Richmond-based HD Advisors, architecture firm Community Design Studio and Raleigh-based general contractor Clancy & Theys, which took over the project through a bidding process after original contractor Community Housing Partners bowed out.
Also on hand were representatives with Viridiant, a Richmond-based nonprofit that consulted on the project to achieve EarthCraft certification for eco-friendly construction and other green building techniques, and Chesterfield-based Epoch Properties, which manages the building.
[trx_button link =”http://richmondbizsense.com/2017/03/23/5m-renovation-wraps-up-at-william-byrd/”]Read the Full Article[/trx_button][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Support HB 1565
Local Tax and Regulatory Incentives; Green Development Zones
HB 1565 is a by-partisan bill patroned by Del. Webert and co-patroned by Del. Keam that enables municipalities to elect local tax and regulatory incentives for Green Development Zones. EarthCraft certification is a pathway provided to meet that designation. As we’ve seen with The Impact on Energy Efficient Design and Construction on LIHTC in Virginia, the EarthCraft family of programs effectively achieves real energy savings. Green development zones, often refered to as “eco-districts” can leverage economic development dollars to attract sustainable businesses and grow green jobs.
Going Green to the Max
The Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg, VA featured an EarthCraft Builder in their article Going Green to the Max. The article takes a look at a custom EarthCraft home built by Jeff Hall of J. Hall Homes. Energy-efficient and sustainable features include geothermal heating and cooling, solar PV, air sealing, and energy recovery ventilators (ERVs). “To put efficiency in perspective, the U.S. Department of Energy says a typical resale home scores 130 on the HERS (Home Energy Rating System) Index while a standard new home built to current code is rated at 100. This house has a HERS target score to be between 0-5, and even without the solar panels would score a 36.” To learn more read the full article here: fls-article-on-jhh
Free Bulletin: Benchmarking
People quantify many aspects of the world around them – from the fuel economy of vehicles to their heart rate while exercising. Benchmarking has become increasingly commonplace, but it has lagged behind in the building sector even though it is easier to do than many might think. In this bulletin, we show how to get started with building benchmarking and how to use the data to make more informed decisions.
Download the FREE bulletin from October’s lecture which provides resources to help building owners, renters and homeowners better understand the value of benchmarking.
[trx_button link =”https://vr2.verticalresponse.com/s/benchmarking”]Download Full Bulletin[/trx_button][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space]
Stony Point Design/Build Prepares for Sales of the First—and Only—Earthcraft Multifamily Condominium in Charlottesville
Stony Point Design/Build Prepares for Sales of the First—and Only—Earthcraft Multifamily Condominium in Charlottesville with the Announcement of A New Director of Sales and Marketing
Cvilletomorrow.org, Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at 8:40 a.m.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, August 30, 2016—Stony Point Design/Build prepares for sales of the only EarthCraft Multifamily condominium in Charlottesville with the announcement of a new Director of Sales and Marketing. This appointment follows the ground breaking and anticipated completion of the River House Condominium project in Riverside Village—just 1.3 miles from Downtown Charlottesville.
“We’re not just building houses. We’re building lifestyle-inspired homes [at Riverside Village] that reflect our buyer’s wishes and dreams,” says Jodi Mills, new Director of Sales and Marketing, Stony Point Design/Build. “And we certify our homes with EarthCraft Multifamily because we want to pass on the value of high-performance building to our home buyers. When you truly listen to what people want, it makes all the difference in the world.”
“We are thrilled to have Jodi Mills join our team as Director of Sales and Marketing,” says Chris Henry, General Manager and COO, Stony Point Design/Build. “She is a warm, true professional with deep industry knowledge and experience. She will further drive our brand promise of building efficient, quality, functional spaces—building better by design—and building customer loyalty with the long list of benefits EarthCraft certification promises.”
The EarthCraft Multifamily program is a green building certification that provides a blueprint for healthy, comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment. EarthCraft Multifamily uses a HERS rating, program guidelines, a points-based worksheet, site visits, and diagnostic testing to verify that projects comply with program standards. By incorporating energy costs that are, on average, 30 percent below those of a typical new condominium, home buyers will notice significant savings on operating and maintenance costs, a healthier living environment with improved indoor air quality, and a quieter home with increased comfort and enhanced durability.
“Being a part of this nimble team is completely energizing,” says Jodi Mills, Director of Sales and Marketing, Stony Point Design/Build. “We have great synergy and trust. There really isn’t anything we can’t do together!”
[trx_button link =”http://www.cvilletomorrow.org/news/article/24866-stony-point-designbuild-prepares-for-sales-of-the-/”]Read Full Article on Cvilletomorrow.org[/trx_button][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space]
Free Bulletin: Planning for Resilient and Sustainable Buildings
A resilient building is also a sustainable building.
Buildings that do not need replacement or significant repairs after a disaster are more sustainable by nature. More critically, resilient buildings provide a safe shelter to their occupants during adverse weather events and following days.
Download the FREE bulletin from August’s lecture which provides resources to help building owners perform a hazard assessment and begin to take action to make their home or building more resilient.
[trx_button link =”https://vr2.verticalresponse.com/s/resiliency”]Download Full Bulletin[/trx_button][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space]
RTD: Central Virginia market for new home sales continues recovery
Central Virginia market for new home sales continues recovery
By CAROL HAZARD Richmond Times-Dispatch
The central Virginia market for new homes continues to recover, according to a midyear report released Monday morning by the Home Building Association of Richmond and Commonwealth Partnerships, a Henrico County-based marketing firm.
New home closings in the region rose 7 percent (to a total of 1,192) in the first half of the year from the same period a year ago, according to the RVA New Home Market Report.
The average price, however, was essentially unchanged at $369,792. The region is made up of Richmond and Caroline, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent and Powhatan counties.
“Building on the success of 2015, the new home market in central Virginia continues to strengthen,” said Craig Toalson, CEO at the Home Building Association of Richmond. “We expect further improvement during the second half of 2016, although homebuilders face a number of challenges related to increasing costs for labor, materials and developing land.”
Read the full article, here.
Announcing August, October and December Lectures
Viridiant is excited to share topics and launch registration for the remaining lectures in 2016 taking place in August, October and December. These lectures will cover a variety of topics including resiliency and benchmarking as well as balancing energy efficiency, historic preservation and affordability with an applied site-visit.
In order to continue offering this educational series, Viridiant will now charge a nominal fee of $5 to attend these lectures in-person (webinar remains $10). Space is limited at each lecture so this reserves your seat and also entitles you to coffee and donuts, bagels or another breakfast treat.
Viridiant, a 501c3 non-profit, prides itself on offering low cost educational opportunities, programs and services to help builders, homeowners and developers create structures that are more affordable, more livable and more durable.
[trx_button type=”square” style=”filled” size=”medium” bg_style=”custom” color=”#fff” link=”/events/” popup=”no”]Learn more[/trx_button]
Winter Newsletter
In case you missed it, our Winter Newsletter is hot off the press with strategic updates, information on upcoming events, an article on the true cost of owning an EarthCraft home, and more!
Click here or on the image below to check it out.
