We just closed on the first GOLD certified green home in Lewes, DE.

This house was also registered in the DE Green 4 Green program and the homeowner’s received a $5,000 grant for building a certified green home.  What a great closing gift!  The program is available to anyone building a new home in DE that is certified either SILVER, GOLD, or EMERALD to the NAHB Green Building Standard.

The design of this home fits perfectly into the historic district of Lewes and is only blocks from downtown shops, restaurants, and Farmer’s Market.  The home features stunning reclaimed pine floors, bamboo countertop, reclaimed stair parts, geo thermal heat pump, ERV, Energy Star Appliances, PEX plumbing, low flush toilets, rain barrel, to name a few.  The driveway is permeable grass paver that allows for rainwater to infiltrate rather than run off to the storm water run-off and the native plantings are grouped upon watering needs to conserve water.

The home is situated in Wolfe Pointe, a coastal development in Lewes, DE.  Zero Energy is the leader in green construction and custom energy efficient design.  They also finished the first GOLD certified home in DE, May 2010 – this home is located in Rehoboth Beach Yacht and Country Club.

You may wonder how does building a certified home help me?  First, by having a third party certify the home, the homeowner is assured that the correct techniques and products are being utilized by the builder to complete the home.  Second, currently in DE there are incentives that pay out cash grants for building a certified home – GOLD $5,000 and EMERALD $6,000.  Lastly, the resell value of the home will increase by have the certified home.  All of the requirements in the Green Building Standard are there to ensure the home will be healthy, comfortable, energy efficient, and built to last.

To listen to the full interview about Zero Energy with Lance Manlove on WGMD Radio 92.7

click on the link below:

ZERO ENERGY on WGMD

Green roofs have been proven to bring about significant energy savings, particularly during the summer cooling season in which single story buildings can experience a reduction of greater than 25% energy use.  Plants transform heat and soil moisture into humidity, to create natural evaporative cooling. Each gallon of water that is transpired by the plants or evaporated from the roof surface liberates 8000 BTU of thermal energy.

A Green Roof extends the lifetime of the roof; typical estimates are that a green roof extends the lifetime of a roof between 100 and 200 percent, by protecting the rooftop from ultraviolet radiation, large temperature fluctuations, drying winds, and  punctures.  Not only does the roof last longer, but there is reduced membrane maintenance.  All this brings about significant cost savings over time.

One might ask can you walk on this Green Roof and the answer is yes.  You can create pathways or a garden type layout or you can plant it in a way that there is no public access – the possibilities are endless.