Welcome to eco-rated, an energy and environmental efficient certification program designed for engineered factory built homes. Developed by the Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Home Program’s team of building scientists, energy experts and industry partners, an eco-rated engineered green home is your certified green home solution.
An eco-rated engineered green home must meet or exceed requirements from the entire process of construction. A builder must be certified to build, homes must be inspected during construction, and can only be sold by certified retailers and contractors.
The eco-rated engineered green home process focuses on five key areas of a home and its construction. Each has minimum program standards that must be agreed to by a participating builder. Each of the measures are inspected during the construction process and further reviewed by quarterly facility inspections. Criteria for each measure are based on accepted industry and building science standards and requirements within each category. The culmination of measures results in a home with reliable and demonstrable performance.
1) Energy Efficiency: A green home must first use little energy - why use more than we need to?
2) Construction Practice: Planning how a home is built is as important as building in the first place.
3) Material Efficiency: The type of material and using just what is needed significantly contributes to being green
4) Indoor Air Quality: Living green means reducing the amount of indoor pollutants & introducing fresh air.
5) Water Efficiency: A precious natural resource that must be used appropriately. It’s easy with the right stuff.
Energy efficiency is a very important building block of a green program. Using energy efficiently lowers your energy bills and reduces the amount of energy necessary to be generated, which reduces greenhouse gases and the use of natural resources. The home receives an ENERGY STAR Home Certificate, and qualifies for available utility rebates and state tax credits.
Your eco-rated builder goes beyond the ENERGY STAR Home standards. Your builder uses the latest in efficient window technology as indicated on the NFRC labels. The house must use efficient lighting in primary lighting areas. Heating & cooling equipment must perform at higher efficiencies. All appliances that can be ENERGY STAR are used. The ductwork of every home must be tested to assure it is tight.
“The key to both global warming and energy security is energy conservation.” - Joseph W. Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Energy Efficiency Minimum Standards:
- Ceilings: R 40
- Walls: R 21 HD
- Floors: R 33 batt or R 38 blown
- Windows: U = 0.32
- HVAC & Ductwork: 90% AFUE furnace, sealed & tested ductwork
- Water Heater: 0.93 EF electric water heater
- Appliances: ENERGY STAR dishwasher & optional clothes washer (installed at building center.) ENERGY STAR refrigerator recommended
- Air Sealing: Ceilings to walls, walls to floors, outlets, etc.
- Ventilation: Low sone, low wattage whole house fans. Mechanical exhaust to the outside
- Lighting: 50% CFL or 100% dedicated CFL fixtures in kitchen and dining
- Envelope Leakage: Built tight - ventilated right
- Solar: Optional solar hot water, Photovoltaic panels
Your eco-rated builder orders just the amount of materials needed to build a home. Framing lumber is ordered to length, sheet goods to size. At every opportunity, suppliers are local or regional to minimize transportation. Maximizing yields minimize waste realizing optimum material efficiency. Most waste material is recycled leaving very little contribution to the waste stream.
The result is minimal construction waste - and what little is left is recycled.
Construction Practices Minimum Standards:
- Waste Factor: Less than 3.5%
- Supply Sources: Local or regional preference
- Recycling: Everything (that can be)
- Material Ordering: Framing ordered to length, sheet goods to size, just in time delivery.
Using materials made from renewable or recycled components extends our natural resources, eco-rated certified homes also benefit in the technology advances of longer life performance .and enhanced value added benefits found in many of todays new materials.
Renewable products are those materials not permanently depleted when used. Recycled products are those that use otherwise waste materials in the production of a new material.
Materials Minimum Standards:
Exterior Materials
- Siding: Recycled / renewable content
- Exterior Vapor Retarder or Barrier: House wrap required
- Roofing: Selective low-e coatings, cool roofs
Interior Materials
- Flooring: Examples include: recycled or renewable content carpets, linoleums, tiles; FSC certified wood flooring
- Counters: Solid surface, low-VOC substrates, laminates
- Paints: Low VOC / no VOC
- Cabinets: Wood cabinets, low VOC substrate MDF, wheat or straw board
Breathe deep! Minimizing the use of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in a house will make it healthier to live in. Using low to no VOC paints, carpets, pads, cabinets and adhesives makes the air inside your home healthier. Kitchen and bath fans, clothes dryers, and ventilation systems exhaust to the outside. Fresh air is introduced making your eco-rated engineered green home fresher.
Living in an eco-rated engineered green home is a healthier living experience.
IAQ Minimum Standards:
- Ventilation: All fans: kitchen, bath, whole house fan & clothes dryers* exhaust to the outside
- Interior Paints: Low to no VOC
- Cabinets: Hardwood or alternative low VOC substrates
- Adhesives: Carpet pad, wood flooring, and sub-flooring adhesives
Water is a valuable and vital resource. With high performance low-flow shower heads you can enjoy your shower using a fraction of the water. Dual-flush toilets use just the right amount of water for what you need. ENERGY STAR dishwashers and clothes washers use little water and deliver cleaner dishes and clothes. Adding aerators to faucets further reduce water use.
Of course, nothing beats being aware of water you are using. Not letting the water run is water not being used. From watering the lawn at the right times to turning the water off while brushing your teeth, being aware is the best program measure of all.
Water Efficiency Minimum Standards:
- Toilets: Dual-flush (.75 min / 1.6 max) or HET 1.2 GPM
- Shower heads: Low-flow shower heads 1.75 gal/minute
- Appliances: ENERGY STAR dishwasher & ENERGY STAR clothes washer and refrigerator recommended
