Environments For Living - CertGreen

Building Energy-Efficient Homes

You, the builder, play a key role in managing and customizing the Environments For Living Certified Green program to suit your homes, your local market, your local climate and your business needs. The Environments For Living Certified Green program is performance-based and not product-based. This means that you are free to use any manufacturer whose products meet the program requirements. The program is designed to provide you with the maximum flexibility to make an environmentally responsible or “green” statement; however, with that flexibility comes responsibility.

The Environments For Living Certified Green program is designed to have homes built in accordance with the program standards achieve an energy efficiency level equal to a reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and a reduction in internal water usage, by 20%, and the home must achieve a Home Energy Rating System Index of 80 or less (20% more energy efficient than the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code).

Builder’s Responsibilities

As the builder, you shall:

Design and construct your homes in accordance with the Program Requirements.
Remain solely responsible for the design and construction of your homes.
Ensure that your appropriate subcontractors understand their responsibilities in meeting the Program Requirements. This shall include ensuring that these subcontractors have completed the Environments For Living Certified Green program field training. It may also include amending your current agreements with subcontractors to reflect new responsibilities.
Make any adjustment in the sequencing of trades needed to ensure that the Program Requirements are followed.
Ensure that all applicable building codes are satisfied.
Contact the Environments For Living Certified Green program if you believe there is a Program Requirement that conflicts with a building code requirement in your location.
Comply with the requirements of the current International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for all items not addressed in the Program Requirements if you build in an area with no building codes in effect.

Working together, it is our goal to provide you and your customer with a home that is healthier, more durable, more comfortable, and which uses fewer natural resources, than homes not constructed to these program requirements.

Framing

There shall be an air barrier* enclosing the conditioned space.** Air barrier continuity is required throughout the structure, including at features such as knee walls, soffits, garage interfaces, intersecting walls, tubs and showers, and dropped ceilings. All exterior sheathings must be a rigid material capable of stopping airflow. It is recommended that roof sheathings include a reflective barrier except when cathedralized insulation strategies are implemented (Note: radiant barrier side must face the air space).

Optimum Value Engineering*** techniques should be applied whenever possible to reduce the amount of wood used for framing. Also, whenever possible certified wood and wood-based materials from a sustainable forest should be used (see attachment A for approved certification programs). Remember that special attention should be given to details that have an environmental impact.

*Air barriers define the location of the pressure boundary. The pressure boundary is defined as the location where 50% or more of the air pressure drop across an assembly occurs.

** The conditioned space is that area within a building provided with heating and/or cooling systems capable of maintaining a minimum of 50 degrees F during the heating season and a maximum of 85 degrees F during the cooling season, or communicates directly with a conditioned space. (Reference: International Residential Building Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, 2000.)
*** Optimum Value Engineering (OVE) is a logical framing design that reduces the lumber requirements without sacrificing structural integrity.

Air Tightness

The air barrier separating the conditioned space from the non-conditioned space shall be continuous and meet an air tightness of .35 cubic feet per minute or less per square foot of envelope area at 50 pascals.
The door between the house and the garage must have spring-loaded hinges.
There shall be no less than 49 pascals pressure difference across the house to garage wall during air tightness test.
All homes shall be measured using a blower door, following the test protocol described in the Environments For Living Certified Green Program Testing Protocol.

Pre Drywall

Holes shall be sealed with a material capable of stopping airflow. Fibrous insulation shall not be used as an air barrier in any application.
All penetrations in the top and bottom plates shall be sealed, including bottom plates to concrete slabs.
All soffits, chases, drop ceilings, knee walls, and tub and shower surrounds shall be capped or backed with a rigid material capable of stopping airflow.
Post Drywall
Penetrations through drywall shall be sealed with a material capable of stopping airflow.

Post Drywall

Penetrations through drywall shall be sealed with a material capable of stopping airflow.

Thermal Envelope

Insulation shall be installed according to manufacturer’s specifications, which include special attention paid to gaps, voids, compression and wind intrusion.
Insulation and the air barrier shall be installed in physical contact with each other. Insulation products must be GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® (www.greenguard.org) or the builder must demonstrate through third-party verification its alternative insulation product a) meets the emissions standards of GREENGUARD or b) has been manufactured from at least 75% recycled content.
When state and local code allows, crawl spaces shall be constructed as a tempered space separate from the outside and sub-soil atmospheres.
Where vented crawl spaces are required, the thermal, air and vapor control shall be in the floor between the crawlspace and the conditioned area.
Windows shall have a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.53 or lower in cold climates (Climate Zone 7) and 0.40 or lower in other climates.
Windows shall have an overall U-value as certified by the National Fenestration Ratings Council (NFRC) of .35 or lower in cold climates (Climate Zone 7) and .75 or lower in other climates.
Climate zones shall be defined in the U.S. Department of Energy Climate Map in the Moisture Management Section.

Mechanicals

Heating and Cooling System Design and Performance

Mechanical systems shall be sized according to the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Manual J.® Room-by-room load calculations using the ACCA Manual J shall be submitted for each plan to verify sizing.
Furnaces, water heaters and boilers within the conditioned spaces (including basements) shall be sealed combustion or power vented units. All other combustion appliances shall be vented to the outside. Ventless fireplaces or space heaters are not allowed.
Minimum efficiency for air conditioning or heat pumps shall be 14 SEER.
Minimum efficiency for heating equipment shall be 80% AFUE for furnaces in Climate Zones 1–4 and 90% AFUE for furnaces in all other climate zones. Heat pumps shall have a minimum efficiency of 7.5 HSPF.
Airflow to each room shall match designed airflow calculations from the ACCA Manual J to within +/- 10% of the average requirements for that room based on the average of 4 orientations of that specific home.
Airflow across the indoor coil and/or heat exchanger shall conform to the manufacturer’s specifications.
Refrigerant charge shall be installed per the manufacturer’s specifications.
Inert gas (nitrogen) shall be used during any brazing/soldering of refrigerant lines.
Indoor and outdoor HVAC system components shall be “matched” according to the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) Directory.

Ducts

Air supply and distribution ducts located in non-conditioned spaces shall be insulated with a minimum of R-6.
All duct connections shall be sealed with a Underwriters Laboratories (UL)-listed mastic product.
All supply and return boot-to-house connections shall be sealed with a UL-listed class 1 pliable sealant such as mastic or caulk.
Duct tightness must be 3% or less of conditioned floor space area in cubic feet per minute at 25 pascals. If ducts are located within conditioned space, duct tightness must be 7% or less of conditioned floor space area in cubic feet per minute at 25 pascals.
Homes shall be measured with a duct test rig using the test protocol described in the Environments For Living Certified Green Program Testing Protocol.

Ventilation

Outside air shall be provided in every home at a minimum of 7.5 CFM per person plus .01 CFM per square foot of conditioned floor area. Persons per home shall be calculated using the sum of the number of bedrooms plus 1. Outside air requirements shall not exceed the minimum rate requirement by more than 10% unless accounted for in the designed load calculations.
Outside air shall be filtered and include a manual damper or other means of control. All filters must have a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) of 9 or greater or an approved electronic air cleaner.
All kitchens shall have a spot ventilation system located at the cooking station(s) capable of exhausting 100 CFM to the outside.
All bathrooms shall have a ventilation system capable of exhausting 20 CFM continuous or 50 CFM intermittent to the outside.

Pressure Balancing

All rooms within the conditioned space—except baths and laundry rooms— shall not exceed +/- 3 pascals pressure differential with respect to the outside when interior doors are closed and the air handler is operating. Additional returns, transfer grills or jump ducts may be needed to balance each room.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Hardwired and removable (plug in type) carbon monoxide (CO) detectors shall be installed as follows in houses having attached garages, fireplaces, wood stoves or combustion appliances:

Removable detectors shall be installed within one foot of the ceiling (manufacturer must approve this location). A minimum of one detector per house level or story is required.
Alarms shall be placed near or outside each sleeping area (one alarm can serve the typical three bedrooms at the end of a hall).
In homes with two or more sleeping areas, one alarm for each area is required.
Any bedroom having a fireplace shall have one alarm in the room in addition to the alarm outside that room.
Homes with elevators that open to a garage must have one alarm near each elevator door opening to the interior of the residence.
Detectors shall be installed in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations.

Moisture Management

Water management shall be provided as specified in the Energy and Environmental Building Association™ (EEBA) Water Management Guide.
Moisture that enters building assemblies shall be allowed to dry either to the interior, exterior or both.
Vinyl wallpaper on exterior or either side of wet walls (kitchen and bath) shall not be used in hot humid climates (more than 20 inches of annual precipitation, and approximately 4,500 heating degree days or less and where the monthly average outdoor temperature remains above 45º F in the winter months) or mixed humid climates (more than 20 inches of annual precipitation, and approximately 4,500 heating degree days or less, and where the monthly average outdoor temperature drops below 45º F in the winter months).
Only cementitious or fiberglass/non-paper faced covered gypsum board shall be used in wet areas (tubs and shower surrounds).
Low-permeance paints (less than 1 perm, ASTM E96), vinyl wallpaper, sheet polyethylene, foil-backed gypsum board, or any other low-permeance material (less than 1 perm ASTM E96) shall not be used on the interior of walls and ceilings in Climate Zones 1–3. Very low-permeance materials (less than 0.1 perm ASTM E96), such as polyethylene, shall not be used on the interior of walls and ceilings in Climate Zones 4–5.
Climate Zones shall be defined in the U.S. Department of Energy Climate Zone Map.

Dept. of Energy Proposed Climate Map

Internal Water Management

The following is a list of the required plumbing products and appliances.

Low-flow shower heads — 2.0 gallons per minute (gpm) at 80 psi.
Low-flow faucets — Bath 1.5 gpm and kitchen 2.2 gpm at 60 psi.
High-performance toilets —1.6 gallons per flush. Score of 300 (minimum 300 gram flush media) on the MaP test (maximum performance test) and comply with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Supplementary Purchase Specification for Certified Ultra-Low-Flush Toilets (see http://www.ladwp/cms/ladwp006244.pdf for approved listed toilets).*
High-Performance Clothes Washers — Must be ENERGY STAR® qualified and must have a water factor no greater than 6.0.
Energy-Efficient Dishwashers — Must have a capacity greater than or equal to eight settings and six serving pieces. Compact dishwashers are not eligible.

* Note: Builders may submit alternative water strategies to reduce internal water use by at least 20% to the Environments For Living Certified Green program’s Ecovaluation Plan Review process for review and approval.

Appliances

All appliances must be ENERGY STAR® qualified. The appliance package must include energy-efficient refrigerators and clothes dryers.

Water Heating

Water heaters shall have a minimum overall Energy Efficiency Rating Factor (EF) as determined by the Department of Energy greater than or equal to:

Gas

Electric

Size (gallons) Energy Factor Size (gallons) Energy Factor

30 0.64 30 0.95

40 0.62 40 0.94

50 0.60 50 0.92

If the water heater you wish to use is not listed above, please call the Environments For Living Certified Green program’s Customer Service Department at 1-888-912-7233.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)

Homes where carpet exceeds 70% of the conditioned floor area shall have an approved central vacuum system.

Carpet products shall carry the Carpet Rug and Institute (CRI) Green label for indoor air quality.
Tack strips or factory supplied non-wet-low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) adhesives shall be used to install carpet.
Urea-formaldehyde wood products shall not be used under carpets.
All paints must contain low levels of VOCs, be durable, have good hiding properties and conform to the following:
- Interior paint limits shall be 50g/L for flats and non-flats, untinted. All exterior flat and non-flat paints shall not exceed 100 g/L VOC, untinted.
- Primers shall not exceed 100g/L VOC (All VOC levels determined on a product minus water basis.)
- Interior paints shall exhibit a minimum of 750 scrubs before failure by ASTM D2486-89.
- Paints must have a contrast ratio of 0.95 at 400 ft2/gal as determined by D2805-88, using a white paint with a reflectance of at least 80%.
Composite products located inside the conditioned space must meet HUD’s formaldehyde emission standard or be sealed with laminates or sealers.
If sealing is impractical, composite materials that use phenol-formaldehyde glues shall be used.
If cabinets are not constructed of formaldehyde-free composite wood and topcoat finishes, they must either be constructed from wood that is certified from a sustainable forest or they must be manufactured in a facility compliant with the ISO 14001 Environmental Management Process.

Lighting

At least 50% of hard-wired lights must be compact fluorescent or LED.
Recommend use of dimmer switches for all non-florescent fixtures, allowing the homeowner to reduce watt usage.

Photovoltaic/PV Installations

Homes that include a photovoltaic (PV) system must meet the following additional requirements:

At least 50% of hard-wired lights must be compact fluorescent or LED. Homes must achieve a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index of 75 or less (25% more energy efficient than a home built to the 2006 IECC).

Testing Protocol

All homes (100%) will be tested for duct tightness, air tightness and pressure balancing. Visual inspections shall be done for framing efficiencies, air barrier integrity, thermal envelope integrity, flashing details, ventilation, carbon monoxide detectors, internal efficient water use details, efficient lighting and ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances.
Builder must have an Environments For Living program Master Certified Tester perform 100% of the testing and inspections above as required by the program.
Quality Management Process approved by the Environments For Living program — For any such Quality Management Process, the builder will be solely responsible for testing and inspecting 100% of all homes by a tester approved by the program for compliance with the Environments For Living Certified Green Program Requirements, and in addition, 15% of all homes in a subdivision will be tested and inspected by an Environments For Living program Master Certified Tester. The Quality Management Process is only available for subdivisions committing over 100 homes to the Environments For Living Certified Green program.

Standard setting bodies, references and government agencies referenced in this document are not affiliated with or sponsors of the Environments For Living Certified Green program.

Approved certified wood sources

A. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Program
B. The American Tree Farm System®
C. The Canadian Standards Association’s Sustainable Forest Management System Standards (CAN/CSA Z809)
D. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
E. Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Systems (PEFC)

Optional Programs

GE ecomagination^(SM) Homebuilder Program®

Builders meeting the Environments For Living Certified Green standard may also elect to market their homes as inspired by GE ecomagination, provided they incorporate the following into their homes:

The GE SmartCommand™ Home Control Platform — a home dashboard that enables homeowners to track their emissions, water and energy savings over time.
Advanced Lighting — At least half of each home’s lighting fixtures must be ENERGY STAR® qualified GE compact florescent lamps (CFLs).
All refrigerators, dishwashers and frontloading washers must be GE ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances that deliver significant energy and/or water savings.
Optional GE Brilliance™ Solar Electric Power Systems.
Optional Innovative GE Mortgage.

For information about the GE ecomagination Home Builder program, and how to create a community inspired by GE ecomagination, please visit www.geappliances.com or call 1-800-828-1280.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)

As an option, builders may also choose to offer an advanced IEQ equipment package, which is based on four pillars of improving indoor air quality: source elimination, ventilation, cleaning/purification and monitoring.

IEQ equipment requirements include the following Lennox® equipment:

Variable Speed Furnace (G61V or G60V)
Healthy Climate® ERV/HRV–ERV for warm/humid climates; HRV for cooler climates (ERV1–150/HRV1-150)
Healthy Climate® Pure Air™ Purification system (PCO-20C)
Healthy Climate® HEPA Bypass (HEPA-40/60) True HEPA — 99.97% efficient
Healthy Climate® Germicidal Lamp UV-2000 — 2000 microwatts
Evaporator coil with foil faced insulation and a composite drain pan incorporating MicroBan,® or blower coil with a composite drain pan incorporating MicroBan® option.
Healthy Climate® Power Humidifier for cold/dry climates (WP2–18)

For additional information, visit www.lennox.com.

Optional Acoustic Comfort Package

As an option, builders can elect to install an Acoustic Comfort Package. In the event a builder elects to install this package, there shall be an acoustical insulation product and acoustical sealant in the walls, ceilings and floors of the master bedroom, bathrooms and laundry rooms of the home. The acoustical sealant shall be applied around all electrical outlets and switch boxes in the walls and at the bottom plate. In addition, the doors on each of the rooms must be a solid core door. These building practices will raise the Sound Transmission Coefficient performance of the room to within 37–39. For additional information, visit www.owenscorning.com/quietzone/quietzone.asp.

Environments For Living

The Environments For Living Program
21001 Van Born Road • Taylor, MI 48180

Toll-Free at 1-866-912-7233

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