The New Mexican had a nice article today about the community:

ARTICLE:

ElderGrace housing community: An ‘oasis’ of green living

Residents share effort to live with less impact

By: Dennis J. Carroll

They’re not quite there yet, but the 26 residents of the ElderGrace housing community see a day when they share vegetables from the community gardens, all get money back from the power company and carpool around town in communally owned electric vehicles.

“This kind of feels like an oasis” from the nearby congested and highly paved cacophony of central Cerrillos Road, said Adele Strasser, who spoke about the community’s environmentally friendly water-diversion and landscaping systems.

Strasser happened to be the self-taught water expert; Garland Bellamy figured out how to construct solar water-heating and photovoltaic systems for his home; Rose Driscoll is organizing a communal compost pile composed of residents’ kitchen scraps and lawn trimmings, Starbucks coffee grinds and the occasional bear scat she brings back from hiking trips. Pauline Sargent, meanwhile, is working on car-sharing plans.

“I am really looking forward everyone eating lots of healthy vegetables that will come out of our garden, which will feed us well,” Driscoll said.

ElderGrace celebrated its first anniversary Sunday, showing off its many minimalist carbon-footprint features.

The community sits on 3 1/2 acres about three blocks south of the 3400 block of Cerrillos Road. It was built, organized and designed by its association members in partnership with the Housing Trust a year ago.

Its residents, who are at least 55 years old, live in one- and two-bedroom homes that are priced between $198,000 and $228,000 and range from 960 square feet to 1,250 square feet.

Residents say the community tries to balance personal privacy and group participation in a semblance of communal living.

Strasser and others noted the short walking distances to shopping and recreational sites, and the quick access to hiking trails.

The homes were designed and constructed with a variety of green and sustainability features, including water-saving devices, passive-solar orientation, in-floor radiant heat, cellulose insulation and a host of other such amenities.

Del Wilkerson, 63, bought an ElderGrace home in late August. “I didn’t want to grow old and be alone,” he said. “I wanted a place that could be a community and not just a place to live.”

Sunday’s event organizer, Pamela Gilchrist, said four out of the total of 28 residences remain to be sold.

For information regarding Eldergrace or any other real estate in Santa Fe, don’t hesitate to contact Matt and Ryan.

Link to Original Article Here.

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

The city has been offering rebates on water harvesting rain barrels and low flow toilets for the past couple of years. This year they decided to step it up a notch with the new rebate program in part due to the federal stimulus money for such programs.  The federal grant is for $440,000, which means that many more people can cash in on the program.

Rebates are distributed as credits on city water bills, and are only available to customers with their name on the city water bill.  The program does not apply to new construction within the city and it should be noted that not all “energy efficient” appliances qualify for the rebate.  Due to this, the city is advising consumers to read the guidelines prior to purchasing a new water saving device. Consumers must also fill out and submit a rebate form within 90 days of purchasing the appliance.

Ultimately, the rebate program saves the consumer in 2 ways.  First, the rebate helps pay for the new appliance.  While this won’t cover the total cost of, say, a new washing machine, it will help considerably. Second, over a short period of time the amount of water saved will add up significantly, leading to reduced water bills.

So, if you have an old washer or toilet that needs upgrading, now is the time.  It will save you money and conserve water.

Contact Matt Desmond and Ryan Bolton

This house is conveniently located in the Bishops Lodge Hills and Villas. It is a short (5-6 minute) drive to Historic Downtown Santa Fe. The house is perched on the highest point of this 2.5 acre lot. On a clear day you can see to Colorado and the neighboring green space protects your view of the Santa Fe Ski area.

The house itself is the work of one of Santa Fe’s more exclusive “boutique” builders. This Kitchen will satisfy even the most discerning Chef…. Subtle Green features abound.

The amenities will make this a great vacation home or a full-time residence.  Included are a private pool and clubhouse for homeowners, and discounts at Bishops lodge resort, Spa, and Restaurant.

The Price is $999,000. 3 Bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, 3470 square feet, on 2.5 acres. Please contact us for a private tour or more information.  

Otherwise Enjoy:

Efforts to promote energy efficiency, locally grown food sources provide glimpse of a sustainable future

 The Santa Fe of the near future could look something like this:

Community gardens on empty city lots.

A robust farmers market providing meat and produce residents don’t grow themselves.

Homes, businesses and government buildings producing much of their own hot water and electricity from solar and wind.

Bike-friendly streets backed up by an efficient public transportation system.

Energy-efficient buildings, both old and new.

Landscapes and parking lots that make use every drop of rain.

People supporting local businesses and creating new ones to provide jobs.

It might sound like a pipe dream, but to varying degrees all these projects are under way. Santa Fe is still a long way from being self-reliant, and lack of funding is one of the big challenges, but every little step helps toward the bigger goal of creating a more sustainable city. The city adopted a sustainability plan a year ago to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, considered by many scientists as the primary cause of climate change.

As Santa Fe joins other cities around the nation in reducing energy and water use, rethinking energy sources and promoting local food production, it is addressing two critical challenges of the future facing all Americans: how to survive climate change and shift away from a fossil fuel-dependent economy.

Growing food

Santa Feans once grew, hunted for or could purchase food grown nearby. True, the menu a century ago didn’t include such fare as sushi and soy, but residents had access to vegetables they grew, fruit from nearby orchards, meat from livestock pastured in Northern New Mexico or from big game in the mountains. The area once was even a top producer of wheat.

Much of that has changed, but the knowledge of how to grow things survives in local families and a new interest in local food has seen a rebirth of small-scale farms in the area. At the same time, Santa Fe has a high percentage of people who live on the brink, unable to pay bills and buy healthy food, a situation advocates call being “food insecure.”

A new joint city and county Food Policy Council began meeting this year to promote a local and regional food-production system that can serve the needs of people from all economic levels. Currently the council is analyzing the gaps in available food and food distribution.

Last summer more than 30 volunteers planted and cared for community gardens at the Railyard Park. “The gardens were really beautiful,” said Eliza Kretzmann, executive director of the Railyard Stewards, who created the gardens along with the nonprofit Santa Fe Community Gardens. “We had one pueblo-style waffle garden with the three sisters (corn, beans and squash) and provided 10 weeks of food donation to The Food Depot.”

At the south end of the Railyard Park, there was space for people who didn’t have room to garden at their homes. More than 100 people attended agriculture workshops hosted by the Railyard, Kretzmann said. Kretzmann said the garden programs will expand this year, including a partnership with Alvord Elementary School with students designing and planting the waffle garden.

On the west side, The Community Farm is enjoying 40 years of traditional growing on 11 acres near the San Isidro Crossing. The farm is transitioning to all organic practices, according to executive director Carolyn Stephenson, daughter-in-law of the farm’s owner, John Stephenson. The farm is now a nonprofit education center with vegetable gardens, a compost pile and a 64-tree orchard of plums, peaches, apples and more. Volunteers, including school students, help with planting and harvesting, and most of the food goes to The Food Depot.

Meanwhile, efforts to connect farmers with Santa Fe schools continue to grow. The Farm to School program started eight years ago with three schools. Now the district has hired one person to buy locally grown food for school menus, according to Pam Roy of Farm to School. Farmers in the region are improving and expanding their offerings, she said. The state Department of Agriculture purchased refrigerated units to put in farming areas such as Alcalde so farmers could store their harvest longer. “Now schools can get the fresh produce into February,” Roy said. “Those are the kinds of things that create sustainability.”

The Santa Fe Farmers Market is enjoying a new space in the Railyard, and the number of vendors continues to increase. Some growers with greenhouses, such as Santa Cruz Farms near Española, can offer greens year-round at the Farmers Market. Experts from the New Mexico State University Sustainable Agriculture Center in Alcalde, the Santa Fe County Agriculture Extension Office and their Master Gardeners are available to advise people on raising vegetables and chickens and tending orchards.

“New Mexico can be a model for the rest of the country,” said Stephenson. “We really haven’t lost all the knowledge of small-scale farms.”

Saving water

Santa Feans have decreased their water use steadily over the last decade and are now down to an average of 101 gallons per person a day. One of the biggest savings came through a toilet-retrofit program, which replaced water-guzzling toilets with low-flow models. Now a new city rebate starting in January will give residents hefty water credits to replace their washing machines and dishwashers with high-efficiency models. The city also offers rebates for hot water recirculating systems and is considering a new phase of the toilet retrofit program.

Saving water is more than just a good thing to do in a high desert city, it’s also better for the wallet. The city raised water rates 8.2 percent last spring and will continue to raise rates 8.2 percent annually for the next four years.

Managing water better can also help save the city’s namesake river, according to advocates. The city is experimenting with new ways to manage stormwater, so the water contributes to the recharge of the aquifer and adds to Santa Fe River flows with less erosion. Reviving a more regular flow in the river is another focus of watershed advocates and city officials.

Producing, saving energy

Most of Santa Fe’s electricity comes from coal-fired and nuclear-power plants. Power provider Public Service Company of New Mexico is working on projects to meet a new renewable-energy requirement, but is likely to rely on coal and nuclear power for years to come.

Santa Fe city and county are working on ways to produce more of their own power from wind, sun and other renewable resources.

The city is working on solar-power systems that could one day provide a chunk of the electricity to the city’s wastewater treatment plant and for a river diversion project for drinking water. The city also is working on a contract to put solar photovoltaic panels on city buildings, including the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, Salvador Perez Pool, Fort Marcy Complex, the airport, the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, LaFarge Branch Library, the police station and the transit division. The systems will be sized to produce up to 90 percent of the buildings’ energy needs.

The bulk of the city of Santa Fe’s electricity use — 44 percent — is for pumping and treating water and wastewater, according to Nick Schiavo, the city’s energy specialist.

The city also is using federal stimulus funds to retrofit street lights — building lights and traffic lights with energy-efficient bulbs — and replace heating/cooling systems with energy-efficient boilers. Those retrofits alone are expected to reduce the city’s electrical bills more than $100,000 a year and reduce the city’s carbon emissions by 1,300 pounds per year.

The city also partnered with Homewise to provide low-interest loans to homeowners for energy-efficiency projects. More than 45 homeowners were given long-term loans at 3.7 percent interest for replacing windows, adding insulation and replacing boilers.

Homewise still has the loan program available, but the interest rate is at 6 percent. Schiavo is hoping to use $100,000 in new funds to buy down the interest rate to 4 percent to encourage more homeowners to participate.

The city has a new green building code requiring new homes to be 30 percent more energy efficient than standard homes. The designs also have to earn points in resource, water and energy efficiency, indoor air quality and more, according to Katherine Mortimer, the city’s sustainability planner. About 40 home permits have been approved under the new code, she said. Now the city is working on a green building code for commercial developments, for remodels and for the historic district.

The county also is using federal stimulus funds to retrofit lighting, conduct energy audits and increase energy efficiency in buildings.

Residents who want to put solar thermal or solar photovoltaic on their roofs already can get federal and state tax credits that offset more than 30 percent of the cost.

Now Santa Fe County is working on an ordinance that will help homeowners jump the biggest hurdle — paying the upfront cost of solar systems. The county, under a new state law, is the first to create a renewable-energy financing district. Individual homeowners can opt into the district, which allows them to obtain financing for solar photovoltaic or thermal systems and pay back the loans through their property taxes.

Rethinking transportation

For a small city, Santa Fe has a variety of transportation means besides cars — a citywide bus system, a train to Albuquerque and bicycle paths. The problem is getting more people to leave their cars and trucks at home and use the alternatives.

Ken Hughes, conservation chairman for the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club, recently returned from the climate change conference in Copenhagen, where 35 percent of the people bike to work and school. “And we have a lot better climate than they do in Copenhagen,” he said.

One difference: It’s culturally “cool” to bike in Copenhagen, a city about the size of Albuquerque, he said.

Another incentive: Gasoline costs $10 a gallon in Denmark, and the country charges a 185 percent excise tax on new cars, Hughes said.

Hughes, who bikes to work every day, said Santa Fe still needs work to become a “very bike-friendly community.”

The city and county are working on plans for connecting existing trails, such as the one along the Railyard, so that people can bike or walk across town from end to end. Many of the plans are drawn. What’s lacking is funds. So the plans are done in phases as funds become available, such as a project to finish the trail along the Santa Fe River all the way to N.M. 599.

Mortimer said both the city and county have adopted “complete” street policies so that all new and refurbished streets will be designed to safely accommodate bicyclists, pedestrians, cars and public transportation.

She said the city, under its sustainability plan, also hopes to one day have plug-in stations at parking garages for recharging electric vehicles.

A sustainability center

Mortimer said a sustainability center is the dream of a broad coalition involving the city, county, Santa Fe Community College, YouthWorks, Earthcare International, the local homebuilders association and the New Mexico Solar Energy Association.

The center would be built on city property near the Genoveva Chavez Community Center and offer hands-on workshops in, among other things, solar and wind energy systems, water harvesting and intensive food production.

Mortimer said the partners wrote a grant to begin planning the center, but it wasn’t funded.

She said they’ll begin meeting again in January to formalize a plan and seek funding again.

 Staci Matlock | The New Mexican

If you have any interest in remodeling a Santa Fe home or would like to make your current residence in Santa Fe, NM more energy efficient and “Greener” , please contact us. We have a solid, reliable group of contractors with whom we work. They will consult with you regarding your home, to make it “Green” while maintaining the Santa Fe Charm.

Green Building Reaches New Level With Nation’s First ‘Emerald’ Remodeling Project
A newly renovated home in Phoenix has become the first remodeling project in the nation to receive Emerald certification, the most stringent achievement level in the National Green Building Standard (NGBS). Building green, according to the NGBS, means incorporating environmental considerations and resource efficiency into every step of the home building and land development process to minimize environmental impact. That means that during the design, construction, and operation of a home, the home’s overall impact on the environment is taken into account.

 ”This project is an excellent example of what home builders and remodelers can accomplish with the National Green Building Standard,” said Joe Robson, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a builder and developer in Tulsa (OK).

The 1,600-square-foot, 70-year-old ranch house is in the Pierson Place Historic District near the city’s new light rail line. It is the first in a series of homes being renovated by Green Street Development, a Phoenix home building company specializing in environmentally sensitive design and construction. All are planned to meet requirements of the standard.

“If we are going to significantly reduce residential water and energy use, we need to retrofit and renovate the more than 120 million homes that use excessive amounts of these precious resources,” Robson said. “I’m proud of all the services we offer through our broad-based green building initiative, NAHBGreen, particularly the third-party certification of homes using the standard.” The National Green Building Standard is a rating and certification system for green residential construction developed by NAHB and the International Code Council and approved by the American National Standards Institute. It is administered by the NAHB Research Center, which also certifies local inspectors around the country.

All new and remodeled homes certified to the standard must meet benchmarks in energy, water and resource efficiency and indoor environmental quality and provide operations and maintenance information for their homeowners.

“The National Green Building Standard is the industry’s only national green rating system for remodeling, and using the standard’s Green Remodel Path is the streamlined way to achieve huge environmental benefits for the nation’s aging homes and cost savings for their owners,” Robson added.

In remodeling the home, Green Street reduced the Home Energy Rating — set at 100 for today’s new homes — from 178 to 68. It features new Energy Star-rated windows and appliances, water-efficient fixtures, upgraded heating, air conditioning and insulation systems, and native landscaping for even more water savings: The builder estimates the improvements should cut water use by 65 percent.

The home was inspected by Mick Dalrymple of a.k.a Green Services in Scottsdale (AZ), an NAHB Research Center-accredited verifier.

“The standard and the third-party certification process provide the home owner with assurance that this project has been inspected and verified to be authentically green,” said NAHB Research Center President Michael Luzier. “I commend Green Street for going the extra mile for the customer to seek the highest level of ‘greenness’ available in residential remodeling.” “The Emerald certification symbolizes our company mission of creating walkable neighborhoods, preserving existing structures, and supporting sustainable development,” said Green Street owner Philip Beere.

by Peter L. Mosca
Published: December 9, 2009

According to a new study from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Booz Allen Hamilton, construction in the green-building industry will support 7.9 million jobs over the next four years while pumping into the American economy $554 billion. Currently, 2 million American jobs are supported by the same industry and more than $100 billion in gross domestic product and wages is generated.

 The USGBC writes on its Web site that “buildings in the United States are responsible for 39 percent of CO2 emissions, 40 percent of energy consumption, 13 percent water consumption and 15 percent of Gross Domestic Product per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity.” The study found that from 2000 to 2008, $178 billion in gross domestic product was contributed to the economy and 2.4 million direct/indirect and induced jobs were created or saved which generated $123 billion in wages.

“Our goal is for the phrase ‘green building’ to become obsolete, by making all building and retrofits green — and transforming every job in our industry into a green job,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of US Green Building Council.

Fedrizzi says, “This study validates the work that the 25,000 people gathered here at Greenbuild, and every member of our movement, do every day.” According to the press release, “The study also assessed the U.S. Green Building Council’s 19,000-plus member organizations and found that they generate $2.6 trillion in annual revenue, employ approximately 14 million people, come from 29 industry sectors and include 46 Fortune 100 companies.” It further included results from workers including architects, construction laborers, truck drivers—all aspects of the green building industry.

From commercial buildings to residential housing, green building is a growing topic and focus. “Costs for building green are going down,” said J.F. Finn III, a principal with Gensler of Nevada, executive architect for MGM Mirage’s $8.5 billion CityCenter development. “Companies now have more experience building green, so there are greater efficiencies.” The USBGC says more employees are attracted to working in green buildings because of the healthier environment and reduced carbon footprint to help preserve the world. The non-profit reports that studies show that companies with green offices have an easier time recruiting and retaining employees. It further states that, “Today’s Generation Y work force actively seeks social-minded employers that reduce their carbon footprints and improve the world around them.”

What does all of this mean to the homeowner? Well, if your home has been modified to include some of the more efficient “green” technologies, it could mean a little more green in your wallet at the close of a sale. The same concept that attracts employees to work in green office buildings also attracts them to purchase green homes. Many green-minded buyers are looking to live in a healthy environment, reduce costs, and save the environment.

However, some studies indicate that while green may be gaining in popularity it’s still not at the level where buyers will pay a lot more money for it. “Although we are seeing significant interest in green building, cost effectiveness is clearly a key concern among homebuyers,” National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) chairman Joe Robson, a home builder and developer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said in a statement. “Builders said that among buyers who are willing to pay more for green features … 57 percent are unlikely to pay more than an additional 2 percent.” NAHB also points out that green building has a regional interest. So, for instance, in the west, water-saving efforts are a high priority when it comes to green building. For a closer look at how to go green read my column, “Going Green May Help Sell Your Home”.

by Phoebe Chongchua

Although the requirement is that new homes have a confirmed energy rating which can be done at the end of the construction process, the City highly recommends getting a projected HERS rating early. The benefit of having a projected HERS rating early in the process is that it can identify simple changes in the building design or specifications that can reduce the homes energy requirements and save the homeowner money over time.

While the City does not require any specific rating at this time, HERS ratings of 85 or lower are eligible for a $500 rebate from PNM. If you are eligible for this rebate, your HERS rater should be able to provide you with information on how to obtain it.

Confirmed ratings involve an on-site inspection of a home by a residential energy efficiency professional, a home energy rater. Home energy raters are trained and certified by a RESNET accredited home energy rater training provider.  The home energy rater reviews the home to identify its energy characteristics, such as insulation levels, window efficiency, wall-to-window ratios, the heating and cooling system efficiency, the solar orientation of the home, and the water heating system. Performance testing, such as a blower door test for air leakage and duct leakage, is usually part of the rating.

The data gathered by the home energy rater is entered into a RESNET accredited computer program and translated into rating score. The home receives a score between where 100 is equal to a model home and lower scores are more efficient and higher scores are less efficient. An estimate of the home’s energy costs can be provided in the report.

Should you have any other questions about this new requirement, please call Lawrence Catanach at 955-6545 or email.
Information for HERS Raters

Please use this form to document the results of your HERS analysis.  You will note that there is a location in the upper righthand portion for you to insert your logo or other information about your company.

When conducting the analysis, unless you inspect the insulation, you must give it a grade 3.

To find the percent better or worse the residence’s energy use is than the 2006 IECC, run the IECC 2006 UA Compliance Report.  The percent better is provided towards the bottom of the report.  A sample of the report can be seen here.

The completed form should be placed inside the building in the window closest to the front door facing outwards.  Please leave an extra copy for the City inspector to retrieve.

Please note, when doing your evaluation you must use ASTM test for thermal conductance for R-values, not effective R-values that are sometimes provided. For materials for which no test has yet been conducted, R-value must be calculated using the R-values of the component materials.