What Is a Certified Green Built Home?

Built Green is a green home certification program started in 1999 by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties in Washington. This voluntary program sets for a holistic array of green building standards that encourage homeowners, contractors, and other real estate professionals to build multi and single-family residential housing alternatives that maximize energy efficiency while limiting the adverse effects on the surrounding environment. Besides being the leading green certification program for Washington, Built Green also brings together a network of building companies, architects, contractors, and other professionals in the real estate industry involved in green building. The Built Green program is also dedicated to proving the economic and environmental benefits of green building by researching and documenting the best green building practices in the region.

What Do the Built Green Star Levels Mean?

As we mentioned above, the Built Green Certification program has several different levels of certification . While all of the certification levels significantly improve over the state of Washington’s building and energy codes, there are significant differences in each level, specifically related to energy efficiency considerations. 3-Star Built Green: This is the lowest certification level attainable and only requires a 10 percent energy use improvement above the current Washington state code. 4-Star Built Green: This level requires a 20 percent energy use improvement above the state code. 5-Star Built Green: This level requires a 30 percent energy use improvement above the current state code and also requires either solar-ready wiring for single-family homes or a completely installed solar PV or solar thermal renewable energy system for multifamily homes. A single-family 5-star Built Green home that installs a solar PV system will achieve much more than the required 30 percent energy use improvement in practice. Emerald Star Built Green: This highest certification level is reserved for net-zero energy use in the home. These homes can opt for either wind or solar power, but the energy they rely on must come from either on-site or within a quarter-mile of the home site. You can see the sustainable characteristics of the first Emerald Star Built Green home in the Seattle area here .

What Are the Benefits of the Built Green Certification?

Several benefits come with Built Green Certification, both for the homeowner, the builder, and real estate companies. Firstly, because of the rigorous requirements of the higher levels of the Built Green star levels, homeowners might find that they are eligible for several types of incentives and rebates that come with Built Green certification. All Built Green certifications require a third-party audit and verification process , allowing homeowners to trust the independent and honest certification process. Of course, Built Green homes will also save homeowners money by drastically reduce electricity and water bills. At the same time, Built Green certified homes have a marketing advantage for real estate agents and homeowners who are selling, especially in the competitive Seattle market where over half of all homes receive some level of this certification. Unlike LEED, Built Green Certification is also available for remodels and retrofits of older homes. If you want a more sustainable home but don’t want to build new, Built Green certification will ensure that your existing home becomes as energy-efficient and sustainable as possible.