ACI in Review; Green Healthy Housing

One of the more enjoyable courses was on "Is green housing healthier housing." It involved Dennis Creech from Earth Craft Homes, Attorney Tom Neltner as well as a gentleman from the EPA named Eric "Damned if I know his last name." While we are getting closer to building and weatherizing healthier homes, there is no consensus on what a green healthy home is.

A study was done using 5 organizations; LEED for Homes, NAHB Green Home Building Guidelines, Green Communities, ALA Health House and Energy Star Indoor Air Package. The categories rated were: Keep it Dry, Keep it Clean, Keep it Ventilated, Keep it Safe, Keep it Free of Contaminants, Keep it Pest Free and Keep it Well Maintained.

Across the board, no program passed on Keep it Safe. All passed on Keep it Well Maintained. ALA Health Homes passed on 6 of 7 while the next closest was Energy Star at 4.75 out of 7.

The gentleman from the EPA was very black and white - "it is what it is." The Energy Star program (www.energystar.gov) goes through more research than the others, however this makes some items slow to change. Indoor Air Quality is the main focus of the Air Package program.

Good stuff...