To start with, I am honored to be the recipient of this green building award from the National Home Builders Association. It is very encouraging and rewarding for my company to be nationally recognized for something that we started working on 4 years ago. This is when the journey began…

It was July 2007, when a friend of mine and I started talking about this unavoidable green trend. Anywhere we looked, whether it was print media, television, internet or radio you would always see companies trying to be more environmentally friendly and responsible with the products and services they provided. However, we did not see, at least in our local level, a strong presence of this green minded approach for the homes and communities that we leave in. A quick web searched led us to discover that there was the Earthcraft House and Energy Star program. LEED seem to be on a pilot program for homes, and there was not much out there that looked at the homes as part of a larger system. In other words we were looking for a holistic approach to developing a neighborhood/community.

With my strong real estate and construction background, and my friend’s expertise in market research and product development experience, we decided to find out what the average people thought about sustainable living, which by itself is very abstract. So, for a period of six month we developed very detail and thorough survey documents that we later used to conducted street surveys at the doors of local farmer’s market, and mail surveys to owners of hybrid cars. The preliminary results were very encouraging and very quickly found out that there was a huge opportunity.

To validate our findings, we decided to conduct a focus group. For this event we invited 8 people from the surveyed sample, and prepared a presentation following a specific methodology for finding out what people really want. If I am not mistaken the name of the technique we used is called SIMALTA, and it basically forces people to make decisions based on limited resources. Isn’t it this how we make our everyday purchasing decisions? In other words, you make trade off. If you had unlimited resources you would want everything on a car for example. You would want the ABS break, roof top, leather seats, etc. However, if you have limit resources, you have to really think on what features you want, and how much you are willing to pay for them. This is precisely what we did but in our case we wanted to analyze the features or attributes of these “green” homes by itself, the community, and the interaction between them. For us it was very important to be able to gauge this interaction since one of our premises was to determine if people only cared about a home, or did they prefer a community/neighborhood of which the homes where just a component of a larger system. In other words, we were trying to find out if a holistic approach to building green communities made sense. The conclusions were astonishing…

So right when we were ready to start looking for the ideal property to develop following a holistic design approach, where we would build a one of a kind neighborhood, the bottom fell off in the housing industry. This led us to put our vision in the back burner, and wait for the economy to improve before committing on a project like this. During this time, both EarthCraft and LEED developed their community designed guidelines which served as an additional way to validate our conclusions, since many of the requirements or points to comply with these programs were the things that we discovered in our focus group.
During this period, I decided to get ready for when the market started showing signs of improvements, so I learned as much as possible about sustainable and energy efficiency construction. I accomplished this by becoming a certified HERS rater, a building analyst with the Building Performance Institute, an EarthCraft technical advisor, and a licensed general contractor.

It was July of 2010 when I saw the opportunity to acquire 4 lots in a fairly stable community in Athens, GA, and decided to test drive the “home components” of our focus group conclusions. This home that won the award and its twin, were designed and built to capture most of the features and attributes of our findings. I enjoyed every single minute of the planning and construction process of these two homes, and using them as much as I could as educational tools by making them available for seminars and open house events, while in construction, to the citizens, county agencies, and trade organizations. So, part 1 of my vision has been officially completed…

Now I am looking forward on an opportunity to fulfill the part 2 of my vision, and develop from the ground up a community that will provided all the sustainability components gathered in my market research and make them available in an affordable and simple way to the average person.

This way of construction it’s not just for the green minded people, it ought to be the standard in construction because it not only makes sense for the environment but also to our pockets. It has been proven that these homes save you money in perpetuity.

Tags: Athens GA green building, Green Construction, green homes

These are very simple questions that I have been asked a lot lately.

For the past two weeks I have been busy attending different events, and have had the chance to talk to many homeowners, and professionals in the field of energy efficiency.

To start with the Athens Area Home Builders Association recently hosted the 2011 Home & Garden Show. I decided to have a booth to promote my businesses, and generally speaking I had a 50-50 split between people wanting to learn more about green homes and the different green construction programs, and another bunch wanting to talk about home energy improvement projects and home energy audits. In this post I’d like to focus on the latter part.

For those individuals that approached me, that were Georgia Power customers, it was easy to explain the process of an energy assessment and the different rebates available to them as a consumer. Georgia Power has spent a lot of time and money in getting their act together to promote energy efficiency in the existing home market. But for does NOT customers of said utility company it was a bit more complex since they are many other protocols that an energy auditor could follow and still deliver a good quality report. In any event, for these two types of customers, the underlying issue was the cost of the audit and figuring out:

• How do I know if I will benefit from a Home Energy Audit before committing to one?
• How can I find out how efficient is my home?

In an effort to address those two legitimate questions, and to better serve my customers and community, I have found several resources that you can use for free.

The first one gives you a rough idea of the efficiency of your home based on your past utility bills, home size and a few other parameters that are then compared to a benchmark and tells you more less how efficient is your home. You can download this  energy efficient spreadsheet here , and follow the instructions on the first tab. An example can be found on the second tab. ( thanks fellow raters for getting this tool in my hand)

If the latter option is to complex for you, then you can go to http://www.energysavvy.com/ and use their energy efficiency tool. In this case, you will be asked a series of simple questions about your home in order to get a quick report on what you can do to improve the efficiency on your home. This tool does not use information pertaining to current energy comsuption.

So, there you have it. Use these two resources for free. However keep in mind that these are for general purpose and will never be as accurate as getting a certified energy audit but is definitely a good start. At least they will help you answer the two questions that I was constantly asked.

Tags: BPI Assessment, Energy Assessment, Energy Audits, energy efficiency, HERS Rating, Homebuyer Education

Well it depends in what context, but generally speaking they all take a system approach when evaluating the energy performance of an existing home. The term use for what kind of energy inspection you are getting depends on what inspection protocol the certified professional is performing.

The main drivers of these terminologies have been the power companies. At least here in Georgia for example, it used to be that if you were a Georgia Power customer you would have to get a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR audit in order to qualify for their rebates and incentives programs. Today, they require that you get a BPI assessment. Hence, the general public is getting a bit confuse.

Basically, anyone that says he is a HERS rater means that they are a certified professional under RESNET (Residential Energy Service Network), a Building Analyst would be someone certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI). These organizations have their own requirements and testing protocols used to address combustion safety and energy efficiency.

Now, if you are planning on qualifying for a Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) or Energy Improvement Mortgage (EIM) as a way to finance your home energy improvements projects then you would required a certified HERS rating.

I suggest that prior to engaging on any home energy audit, you first check with your power company for participating contractors, if none are available either go to RESNET or BPI website to find a list of certified professionals in your area that can assist you in your project. Last, if you think you need major energy improvements do not forget to check the Energy Improvement Mortgages.

Tags: BPI Assessment, Energy Assessment, Energy Audits, HERS Rating

It’s simple, when considering buying a home you need to factor in the true cost of ownership, it’s not just about the mortgage payment and taxes, you need to include utility bills, and other expenses that will always be attached and associated with home ownership.

I decided to run the numbers based on a true case in which I had a potential buyer for one of my high efficient homes or green home for that matter and another one built to code. The results were amazing…

Since I knew the location, and asking price for the other home, I found out through my sales agent, power company, insurance agent and the tax assessors’ office information pertaining to HOA fees, average home energy consumption in the neighborhood, home insurance, property taxes, and other cost associated with the subject property.

With that information I made a side by side comparison, of the subject property, and the EarthCraft House. Since the subject property was a bit larger I made some adjustments for the energy bill.

The bottom line is that a High Performance House, in this case, will save the homeowner roughly $135 per month. That represents a life savings of $27,000.00 Then I ask, who would not want to own a home like this…

Another way to look at this number is that if you are in the market for new homes, you can actually afford a “bigger home” is you were to compare it apples to apples. In other words, if your budget is let say $160,000 suddenly you can now afford an Energy Efficient Home that is worth 199,000 with no impact to your wallet. In fact, with time we know that utility rates will continue to go up thus saving more money.

In conclusion, it makes sense for consumers to start demanding for this type of homes; it does not only make sense for environment, but also to your wallet.

Tags: Athens Ga Energy Star, Athens GA green building, energy efficiency, green homes, Home for Sale, Homebuyer Education

In consideration to the environment, and Imery Group’s vision of “promoting sustainable living” we decided to reduced as much as possible paper base handouts and encourage people to get that same information here, in our blog. Hopefully, together, we can save a few trees.

So, if you came and visit my booth at the Home & Garden Show for 2011 in Athens, GA you can download the information presented to you by clicking on the following links. If you did not visit my booth, you are also welcome to review the documents.

Why Builders Should work with Imery Group

Why Should Home Owners work with Imergy Group

Why Use a RESNET EnergySmart Builder

Imery’s_Energy Star_Homes_Checklist

Imery’s_Energy Star_Homes_Benefits

EarthCraft House Brochure

Tags: Athens Ga Energy Star, Athens GA green building, GREEN Realtor, Home & Garden Show, Homebuyer Education, RESNET

We are excited to announce that our real estate division has join efforts with Chastain Jenkins and Leather . We belief that this relationship will allow us to maximize companies’ resources, providing unique value to the Athens Area market place. To view full press release click HERE

Tags: Athens GA green building, GREEN Realtor

In this video we take you through the process and testing that goes into certifying a home under the EarthCraft House program. We will first give you a demostration on how you can measure a home’s airleakage by conducting a blower door test, then we perform a duct blaster test on the air duct system to determine how air tight they are, and last we discuss other items that go into the final inspection. Many of the subjects discuss here are similar to that of the Energy Star New Home Program.

Tags: Air Sealing, Athens GA green building, Blower Door Test, Duct Blaster Test, Ductwork and Air Handler, energy efficiency, Homebuyer Education, indoor-airplus

Veronica Imery invites you to visit her own blog posts with Chastain Jenkins and Leathers where she talks about her experience as a sales agent during the construction process of Athens’ first EarthCraft Platimun homes.

Luis Imery is interviewed by Walton EMC’s media director Greg Brooks. These Platinum homes are the first two homes to be built in the Walton EMC power grid .

Platinum Passion

Builder’s zeal for efficient homes benefits buyers

When it comes to building an efficient, sustainable home, Luis Imery puts his money where his mouth is.

Actually, many of the extras that make a home sustainable don’t cost extra. Those that do save money from now on.

Imery is building the first Platinum-level EarthCraft homes in the Athens area. The homes are also in Walton EMC’s service territory. He’s not only going this extra mile for his own benefit; he is enthusiastic in educating the entire community about sustainable housing….( click here for full article)

Tags: Advance Framing, Air Barrier, Athens Ga Energy Star, Athens GA green building, Building Envelope, energy efficiency, Foundation, Moisture Control, Roof, Speculative Home, Sustainable Construction, Waste Management, Water Conservation Indoor, Water Conservation Outdoor, Windows

On this part of the video we will be talking about the water conservation, indoor air quality, and energy efficiency efforts to deliver a home that not only performence better than a house build to minimun code but it will save you money due to its low utility bills in perpetuity

Tags: Air Sealing, Athens GA green building, Ductwork and Air Handler, Energy Efficient Lighting, Energy Star Appliances, Energy Star Lighting, Heating and Cooling Equipment, Indoor Pollutant Control, Low VOC, Resource Efficient Building Materials, Roof, Water Conservation Indoor, Water Conservation Outdoor, Watersense, Windows

 Joining me as I take you through the different construction stages of building an EarthCraft House, we will explore the different features and building techniques that can be applied during the construction process to ultimate produce a High Performance home.

Tags: Advance Framing, Air Sealing, Athens GA green building, Ductwork and Air Handler, Insulation, Resource Efficient Building Materials, Resource Efficient Design, Roof, Waste Management, Windows

Andrea Williams with Athens Banner Herald interviews Luis and Veronica Imery on Energy Efficiency and how one can by taking simple steps reduce your carbon footprint

Tags: energy efficiency, GREEN Realtor

Veronica Imery, with Chastain Jenkins and Leathers creatively hosted an Open House while the homes where half way through construction right before insulation wasapplied. This unique event and open house, which was highly attended, gave our guest the opportunity to see, feel and touch everything that goes into building a High Performance home before it gets cover by drywall

Tags: Advance Framing, Air Sealing, Athens Ga Energy Star, Athens GA green building, energy efficiency, Foundation, Home for Sale, Homebuyer Education, Moisture Control, Resource Efficient Building Materials, Roof, Speculative Home, Waste Management

During the construction of the first two EarthCraft Homes to achieve Platinum level in Athens ,GA the local newspaper Athens Banner Herald  published an article about them and the local green building  trend, and other local green iniciatives. Check it out HERE

Tags: Athens GA green building, Resource Efficient Building Materials, Waste Management

Well, after a couple of month of non stop activities I found time to get the blog up and running. I am very excited about having the opportunity to share with everyone our company’s experiences ( www.imeryandcompany.com)  in building the first two EarthCraft Platinum Level Houses in Athens, and  serving as third party raters or certifiers of different green building programs and home energy audits.

After being involve with this “green wave” for over three years, I feel that the best way to start is to introduce you to the most popular Green Building Programs available in my area.  I have found that there is a lot of confusion and distortion on what people think these green building programs are, how they work and and finally their implementation. So, to start:

ENERGY STAR:  Is a Government-backed symbol for energy efficiency. Identifies new homes, buildings, and products that are energy efficient and offer the features, quality, and performance that today’s consumers expect. To earn ENERGY STAR®, a home must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. EPA. Homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code, and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20–30% more efficient than standard homes

• Benefits:  New homes are certified to meet EPA’s guidelines for energy efficiency. Performance is verified by an independent third party such as our company. Homes use less energy for heating, cooling, and hot water heating. Homeowners can expect to save about $200–$400 annually on their utility bills. This homes keep out excessive heat, cold, and noise, and ensure consistent temperatures between and across rooms-making these homes more comfortable to live in.  By purchasing an ENERGY STAR qualified new home, you are helping our nation reduce our energy needs and building a cleaner environment for the future.
• Features:Effective Insulation — properly installed insulation helps achieve even temperatures throughout the house. High-Performance Windows — advanced window coatings help keep heat in during winter and out during summer. Tight Construction and Tight Ducts —by sealing all holes, cracks, and seams in ducts and construction assemblies helps eliminate drafts, moisture, dust, pests, and pollen. Energy-Efficient Heating and Cooling Equipment — more efficient and properly sized heating and cooling systems.

End result is a home that has lower utility costs, is quieter, more comfortable,  and with better indoor air quality than a typical home.

In a nutshell the ENERGY STAR program focuses on having an airtight home and duct system, and implementing proper construction techniques to reduce energy consumption by minimizing air leaks and using more efficient systems and components. Then, you move to programs that look beyond energy efficiency of a home and considers other factors such as site planning, lighting, designs, waste management, indoor air quality, water consumption, home buyers educations, and kind of building materials used for the construction of the home.

These other programs are the EarthCraft House (www.earthcrafthouse.com/)  & LEED for Homes http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=147 )

EARTHCRAFT HOUSE: Is a green building program that helps construct healthy, comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment. Is a partnership between the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, Southface Energy Institute, the government and industry partners. The aim of the program is to help home builders be leaders in smart growth management and environmental stewardship.

• Benefits for Builder: Reduce the number of callbacks because comfort or moisture problems can be eliminated with a systems approach to home building. Product differentiation shows home buyers that your company is dedicated to quality & sustainable construction. Increasing profits and enabling potential home buyers to access special mortgage products due to true cost of ownership. Is a systems approach to home building which results in a comfortable home that performs better without costing much more to build
• Benefits for Homeonwer: Home is more energy efficient, durable, healthier and comfortable than other homes just built to code .“True Cost of Home Ownership” is reduced. –Lower monthly mortgage, gas and electric bills, water and sewer, maintenance and repair, and in many cases, doctor’s bills for health problems related to poor indoor air quality. Can Qualify for special energy efficiency lending programs.

LEED for Homes: A LEED-certified home is designed and constructed in accordance with the rigorous guidelines of the LEED for Homes green building certification program. LEED for Homes is a consensus-developed, third party-verified, voluntary rating system which promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. This program is administer by the U.S Green Building Council.

Now, which program is right for? Well it depends on who you are. If you are a builder and you are planning on jumping into the “green wave” my recommendation is to first start with the Energy Star program, and them, when you get familiar with the requirements and construction practices consider either the EarthCraft House or LEED for home. I favor EarthCraft House since this program was developed first for residential construction and then has grown into commercial stuff. LEED was developed first on the other end of the building spectrum, in other words first on the commercial/institutional arena and then have moved down the spectrum to residential. However is up to you…

If you are someone looking into buying a house or building one, I definitely recommend you  look for homes with any of the certification mentioned above because it’s a symbol of quality, and that the builder went beyond current codes requirements while building the house and had it third party verified  adding an extra layer of quality assurance during the construction process. So look for a home that has the certification labels. These labels can typically be found in the electrical panel… If you are planning on building your house then I recommend you look for the green builders in your area. You can do this by going to the  different program administrator’s website and find a builder who is a partner to the program.

I think this is all for today, in my next post I will dive into the construction aspect of the two EarthCraft House that our company is building in Athens, GA

Tags: Athens GA green building