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2009 Spring PreviewSM Features MN GreenStar Certified Homes
2/10/2009
New homes today are safer, healthier, more durable, more energy efficient, full of the latest technology and a host of incredible new products, materials and features that make life easier and more comfortable...and they’re Greener. For those seeking energy savings, cleaner indoor air, more responsible water use, or any of the many aspects of Green, the best choice is to build a certified MN GreenStar home.
Visitors can tour six MN GreenStar homes this spring, ranging in price from $299,900 to almost $2,000,000. They are located in Cedar Lake Township, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Rogers Otsego and Hudson, Wisconsin.
MN GreenStar was developed by the Green Institute (a nationally-recognized leader in the Green building movement), the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, and the National Association of Remodeling Industry - Minnesota. Experts from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the University of Minnesota, and Excel Energy also lent their expertise to create a program perfectly tailored for the weather extremes and best building practices common to the Upper Midwest. An objective, third-party verification system assures the new home performs as promised. And the builders who construct a MN GreenStar home are required to attend mandatory educational programs.
Building a MN GreenStar home allows for three certification levels and a wide range of options within five distinct categories. These include:
Energy Efficiency
Energy is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think Green homes. It’s not surprising, as using energy wisely is both altruistic and frugal, saving the environment while saving on your pocketbook. MN GreenStar’s energy efficiency category takes into account construction techniques as well as products and materials. A certified home is sealed tightly, includes high-efficiency appliances and mechanicals, and is designed to take advantage of solar gain through thoughtful placement of windows and overhangs.
Resource Efficiency
A MN GreenStar home combines products that waste less in production, packaging and shipping; designs that use common construction materials efficiently; plus an eye towards recycling — both recycled materials built into the home, and recycling excess materials from the construction process.
Water Conservation
Water really is the new oil — around the globe, water shortages are creating massive problems, and even in the southwest U.S. water is becoming a critical issue. In a MN GreenStar home, water is treated with the respect it deserves. MN GreenStar homes help homeowners conserve with great new products like low-flow shower heads, dual flush toilets, and drip irrigation systems for the yard. Careful choices in construction products and materials can also save on this precious commodity.
Indoor Environmental Quality
Allergy and asthma sufferers will find refuge from a dirty world in their MN GreenStar home. Materials choices are critical in keeping dust to a minimum, modern appliances are designed with high-tech air cleaners and filters that scrub the air, and radon and carbon monoxide technology assures a safe and comfortable home environment.
Site and Community
Last, but certainly not least, are the benefits of a Green homesite and neighborhood. The right landscaping combined with home design and placement can reduce heating and cooling costs drastically. Thoughtful planting choices save water and reduce runoff into the municipal sewer systems. And today’s developers are creating entire neighborhoods that embody the philosophy of Green with minimal impact from homes and roadways.
A MN GreenStar Certified home provides energy savings right away and a more comfortable home for years to come. And MN?GreenStar homeowners can be proud of their contribution to environmental responsibility. Additionally, there’s plenty of evidence that suggests the resale value of a certified Green home will command a premium price as tomorrow’s home buyers seeks Greener homes.
Both the new home and remodeling programs are now available for Minnesota families through their builders and remodelers. For more information visit the MN GreenStar website www.mngreenstar.org.
Six MN GreenStar Homes are open for touring during the 2009 Parade of Homes Spring PreviewSM
#182, J.L. Wageman Homes, Inc.
4460 Edenvale Court, Cedar Lake Township. Priced at $499,900
#292, Keith Waters & Associates, Inc.
2224 Portico Green, Minnetonka, priced at $1,949,000
#311, Artesa Homes
510 Lanewood Lane N., Plymouth, priced at $1,675,000
#366, Christian Builders, Inc.
12187 Foxtail Lane S., Rogers, priced at $349,900
#384, Rottlund Homes, Inc.
16689 - 72nd Street NE, Otsego, priced at $299,900
#402, Berger Built Construction Co., Inc.
39 Stone Harbor Place, Hudson, WI, priced at $349,000
Each of these homes has either received certification through MN GreenStar or is in the process of receiving certification.
Top Companies Support MN GreenStar
Getting behind the new MN GreenStar certification program are some of the area’s top manufacturers and suppliers. We’d like to thank these exceptional firms for their sponsorship support.
MN GreenStar Champions:
Pella Windows and Doors • www.pella.com
MN GreenStar Friends:
Marvin Windows and Doors • www.marvin.com
New Morning Windows • www.newmorningwindows.com
Shaw/Stewart Lumber • www.shawstewartlumberco.com
In-Kind Supporters:
Blue Sky Guide • www.ecometro.com
Building Knowledge, Inc. • www.buildingknowledge.com
Felhaber Larson Fenlon & Vogt • www.felhaber.com
Natural Built Home • www.naturalbuilthome.com
Russell Herder • www.russellherder.com
Sala Architects • www.salaarch.com
Verified Green • www.verifiedgreen.org
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