Open to Public October 17-26, Full Details Below

The North American tour of Das Haus will open in Atlanta on October 17th. The pavilion opens to the public at 10 a.m., at The World of Coca-Cola at Pemberton Place, located at 121 Baker Street NW in Atlanta.  The exhibition, including guided tours, will be open from 10 am – 6 p.m. on days of operation and admission is free.

Presented by the German American Chambers of Commerce, this pavilion is an integrated, multifaceted structure that demonstrates real-world technologies and solutions for meeting ultra-low energy building standards. Das Haus incorporates a multitude of sustainability technologies including:

Thin film photovoltaic roof, facade and louvered panel systems
Heat-recovery climate control and ventilation systems, Passive House Standard triple-pane windows
Solar-powered LED lighting systems and high-efficiency appliances
Vacuum insulated panel systems
VRLA battery systems
Advanced wall construction materials and methods

Several special events and presentations by thought leaders on sustainability, green building and new methods of integration for ultra-low energy buildings will be part of the Das Haus pavilion. A brief schedule includes:

October 19th:      Press Preview & Grand Opening – 5:30 pm – 8 pm
October 20th:      Half Day Conference: “The Net Zero House – Innovation in Renewables & Energy Efficiency” – 8:30 am – 2 pm
October 22nd:     GACC Member Event & Reception
October 23rd:     Closed
October 24th:      Sustainability Week Kick-off Event & Reception (in cooperation with the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability)  6 pm – 8 pm
October 25th:      University Day & Guided Tour – 10 am – 6 pm
October 26th:     Exhibit ends at 6 pm

For more information on Das Haus and to register for guided tours and events, visit www.DasHausTour.com. For more information on the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern US, visit www.gaccsouth.com.

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Today, Vice President Joe Biden and HUD (Housing and Urban Development) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced the FHA PowerSaver pilot program as part of the Recovery Through Retrofit initiative announced in May 2009.  This is meant to be a “mainstream mortgage product” that will offer low-cost loans to credit worthy individuals looking to make their homes more energy efficient.  “Backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), these new FHA PowerSaver loans will offer homeowners up to $25,000 to make energy-efficient improvements of their choice, including the installation of insulation, duct sealing, doors and windows, HVAC systems, water heaters, solar panels, and geothermal systems.“

I’m happy to say that Atlanta Georgia is one of the pilot markets along with the City of Decatur.  Here is a full list of the pilot markets:

Under the Better Buildings Program, approximately $485 million was allocated by DOE through competitive grants to initiatives in the following locations: Austin, TX; 16 towns in Maryland: Berlin, Cambridge, Chestertown, Cumberland, Denton, Easton, Elkton, Frostburg, Oakland, Princess Anne, Dundalk, Westminster, Havre de Grace, Salisbury, Takoma Park, and University Park, MD; Fayette County, PA; Bedford, NY; Berlin, Nashua, and Plymouth, NH; Boulder County, City and County of Denver, Garfield County, and Eagle County, CO; Camden, NJ; Chicago region, IL; Cincinnati, Ohio and northeast Kentucky; Consortium of 14 Connecticut Towns: Bethany, Cheshire, East Haddam, East Hampton, Glastonbury, Lebanon, Mansfield, Portland, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, Wethersfield, Wilton and Windom; Detroit, Grand Rapids, and southeast MI; Greensboro, NC; Indianapolis and Lafayette, IN; Kansas City, MO; Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, San Diego, and Santa Barbara County; CA; Lowell, MA; Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine, WI; Maine statewide; Missouri statewide; New York statewide; Omaha and Lincoln, NE; Oregon statewide; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Riley County, KS; San Antonio, TX;; Seattle, and Bainbridge Island, WA; Select Southeastern cities: Atlanta GA, Carrboro NC, Chapel Hill NC, Charlotte, NC, Charleston SC, Charlottesville VA, Decatur GA, Hampton Roads/Virginia Beach VA, Huntsville AL, Jacksonville FL and New Orleans LA; Toledo, OH; and US Virgin Islands.

Lender participation is voluntary and lenders must express their interest in the program and specify which markets they would like to offer the product in.  All of the information on the FHA PowerSaver program can be seen on the HUD website at http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/documents/5450-N-01_energy_retrofit_pilot_program_notice.pdf

Here is a slideshow of photos from the installation:

The Legacy Pointe neighborhood will include approximately 14 residences reflecting New World Home’s New Old Green Modular® (NOGM®) housing platform.  By utilizing a proprietary ‘whole-systems’ approach to home construction, NOGM® homes can reduce overall energy consumption by more than 50 percent, save thousands of gallons of water per year and provide a healthier indoor air environment when compared to a typical code-built house. A NOGM® home can also save homeowners thousands of dollars per year in operating and maintenance costs.

This project was initiated largely in response to a recent Memorandum of Understanding among the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in which they agreed to an unprecedented partnership to advance green, affordable, urban housing that is easily accessible to public transportation.

“We’re very excited about the idea of offering high-quality, affordable, green housing that is within walking distance to MARTA and the future BeltLine,” states Mr. Hughley, CEO of RRC. “This fusion of location, transportation, affordability and sustainability is going to revolutionize intown living and complement this already culturally-rich neighborhood and communities throughout Atlanta and across the country.”

Here is a video of the installation:

View the entire press release

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On Monday October 25th, Mayor Kasim Reed launched Atlanta’s Sustainability Week.  This week will be full of activities and events across the city of Atlanta.  Southeast Green has a great interview with Mandy Mahoney, City of Atlanta Director of Sustainability.  You can hear the interview at www.blogtalkradio.com/southeastgreen.

Below is a list of the week’s events including yesterday’s launch:

Here is some information on the tour:

- Start your morning with goodies and beverages at the Nest (a model home and energy efficiency lab monitored by Southface and the US Dept of Energy)

- Tour of Serenbe Farms

- Tour of Green Homes modular townhouses

- Walking tour with Steve Nygren, Serenbe founder

**Carpooling is encouraged and groups will be gathering at the Atlanta Board of REALTORS office at 5784 Lake Forrest Drive, Atlanta, GA 30328 at 9:15am for a 9:30 departure.

The tour will start at 10:30 in Serenbe at the Nest, located at 9226 Selborne Way Chattahoochee Hills, GA 30268

You can register online at the ABR website Register Here

This event is free for ABR members and $10 for non-members

Update:  Here are some pictures from the Tour

Click to view slideshow.

• Learn how you can differentiate your high performance homes from the conventional builder down the road

• Learn new ways to communicate the value of high performance homes to prospective home buyers and important stakeholders

• Learn important marketing strategies to notify prospective homeowners about your homes

• Learn how to ensure your sales professionals are at the top of their game and convey the real benefits of your high quality homes.

October 28, 2010 • 11:00 am
Georgia Tech Global Learning Center Atrium
84 Fifth Street N.W., Atlanta, GA 30308
404.358.6203

Click Here for the Flyer and Full Registration Details

Check in: 11:00 a.m.

Program/Lunch/Elections: 12:00 p.m – 2:00 p.m.

Registration: Pre-registration is required for all attendees.

To register, visit our website at https://www.atlantahomebuilders.com/education/classes-events.cfm and select the program on October 28th.

Cost: $30 GBC Council Members
$40 Non GBC Council Members
$50 Non HBA Members
There is a $15 walk-in fee for all that do not pre-register

In the 3rd Quarter of 2010 certified green homes represented 6.5% of the total new construction market.  Green homes sold for 87% of asking price in 106 days compared to 89.7% of asking price for conventional new construction in 115 days on the market.

Here is a link to the 3rd Quarter 2010 Atlanta Green Home Sales Report.

This study looks at detached single family homes that were built 2007 or later and sold as “new construction”.  The Green Home Sales Report looks at homes listed between $250,000 and $2,000,000 in Fulton, Dekalb, Cobb and Gwinnett Counties.  The green homes have all been certified by a third party Green Building Certification including EarthCraft House, LEED for Homes, NAHB Green Building Standard and Energy Star.

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Please leave your comments if you have any thoughts or questions about green home sales in Atlanta.

For historical reports, visit Atlanta Green Home Sales Reports.

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On Friday October 15th, The Piedmont Park Conservancy will put on the Green Concert in the park featuring The Eagles.  In past years the concert has featured bands including The Dave Matthews Band and The Allman Brothers Band in 2007, and Sir Paul McCartney in 2009.

The concert will be held in the restored 10th Street Meadow. Tickets for this year’s show start at only $55.

The VIP experience begins at $250 and includes:

• Front of stage viewing
• Private hospitality tent with complimentary food, beer and wine
• VIP comfort stations
• Private VIP entrance

Tickets are available for purchase at  Ticketmaster and you can view all of the details on the Piedmont Park Conservancy website

Here is the video announcing the Eagles at Piedmont Park

Sign up for the Piedmont Park Conservancy eNews to receive Green Concert updates. Guests are encouraged to use MARTA, walk or bicycle to the event. There is limited parking and the streets surrounding the Park will be closed to non-residents. Gates open at 5pm. This environmentally themed concert will continue to raise funds to maintain historic Piedmont Park and the new 53-acre expansion, while promoting environmental sustainability.

On the Eagles website they are showing some shows being rescheduled due to Don Henley being sick, so be sure and check back with the Conservancy or the Eagles Website, www.EaglesBand.com.  I would think all would be back in order by the 15th, so it should not be a problem.

Here is the story I wrote about the first Green Concert in 2007  Dave Matthews in Piedmont Park