EEBA's High Performance Home Blog

The role of the construction industry in combating climate change is a relatively new consideration, but one that is gaining prominence on sustainability agendas at a global scale. At the recent UN Climate Change Conference, the program included a day dedicated to buildings and cities, as well as the Build Better Now virtual pavilion, showcasing seventeen sustainable projects. In advance of COP26, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Architects Declarehosted a Built Environment Summit, prompting a collective call to the built environment sector to embed, replicate, and scale up sustainable best practice designs. Similar to local recycling efforts, individual home owners, contractors, and developers each have a role to play in reducing carbon emissions at the residential scale. Here are five project examples that illustrate how you can build single-family housing sustainably, with style. Urban Eco Home Infill Non-profit development firm ​Midtown... read more

Compared to many other industries, the construction industry has traditionally been slow at technological development[1]. This is changing rapidly, and more than digitization and emerging technologies, Sustainability is going to become one of the dominant disruptive forces to transform construction industry, and specifically, housing construction, in this century. Clean energy transition will result in green net zero homes of the future that will actively reduce our carbon footprint. Existing buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of EU energy consumption and 36% of the greenhouse gas emissions, meaning they are the single largest energy consumer in Europe. By contrast, well-sealed, insulated, and energy efficient net zero homes of the future will produce as much renewable energy as they consume. They will be carbon-free and the energy bills of their residents will be zero. We may already be on this path towards net zero, but this journey depends on several factors as... read more

Why is Greywater Recycling so Important? Due to climate change and population growth, most regions of the world now face increasing periods of drought and lower ground water levels. In summer 2022, Europe suffered under the most severe drought in 500 years, while the American Southwest is forced to find new ways to leverage its remaining water sources like the Colorado River. Water scarcity impacts people and organizations in their daily lives. Business operations stagnate and people must adapt their lifestyles, so we need to transition towards a water smart society. If 50% of the world population would recycle its water at home, we could save 66 billion gallons of potable water use and 105 thousand tons of CO2 every single day. In the next 25 years, the world population will grow by two billion people and more than 60% of all people will live in urban areas. As a result, the global demand for clean water will grow by 55% – much more than the hydrological cycle can... read more

As my internship with the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) draws to a close, I have pondered on my position and views on the state of green building today. As someone who was raised building houses and heavily influenced by builders, this internship at EEBA has offered me a more comprehensive perspective on what green building is and how high-performance homes are built. Even through the eyes as a youth today, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that the concept of green building has gained remarkable traction in recent years as our society grapples with the need to address environmental concerns. Intern As an intern at EEBA, my eyes have been opened to the vast wealth of knowledge and resources that promote sustainable building practices. Before interning here, I did not have much experience with anything dealing with sustainability or the environment besides an oceanography trip in college and learning about the effects things like oil spills have on... read more

View original blog on Schneider Electric's website Households have both a direct and indirect impact on the environment. A house takes up physical real estate; it produces heat, noise and – in today’s digital age – a low level of electromagnetic interference from a bevy of connected devices. Its occupants will accumulate resources and produce real physical waste over time – including food packaging and discarded appliances. All accounting for houses to have a major impact thanks to the energy they consume, still only partially derived from clean renewable power. Indeed, buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of EU energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. We are no less culpable for these emissions just because they are largely invisible and the major impacts happen outside our purview. To keep us focused on making our homes smart and net zero over time, regulations, policies, incentives and standards are there to guide us but also to mitigate the impact of... read more

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Taylor Morrison is one of the nation's largest homebuilders and developers. Taylor Morrison serves a broad range of consumers from coast to coast, including first-time, move-up, and resort-lifestyle homebuyers and renters under their family of brands—including Taylor Morrison, Esplanade, Darling Homes Collection by Taylor Morrison and Yardly. From 2016-2023, Taylor Morrison has been recognized as America's Most Trusted® Builder by Lifestory Research. Recently, Taylor Morrison announced its newest partnership with Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, the home organization experts behind The Home Edit, a part of Hello Sunshine, which is a division of Candle Media, on a new video series, New Home, New Zones, offering home-organization tips that make moving into a new home easier. As part of the multi-faceted partnership, Taylor Morrison will also serve as a homebuilder on The Home Edit's new take on hit home renovation series "Extreme... read more

Greenville, S.C. (July 24, 2023) - Addison Homes, a local home builder which specializes in building healthy, high-performance homes that emphasize increased comfort and durability, better indoor air quality, ultra energy efficiency, and the use of sustainable materials, has received the Green Building award at the annual Bridge Awards gala for the Home Builders Association of Greenville. Founded in 1960 as an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders, the Home Builders Association of Greenville has grown to more than 650 member firms. The HBA of Greenville recognizes excellence in craftsmanship and professionalism in the home building industry through the Bridge Awards. The award-winning Addison home, the Keowee, features exceptional indoor air quality, water and energy efficiency, and uses a solar photovoltaic shingle system to generate renewable energy to offset a significant portion of the electrical use of the home, achieving an astounding HERS score of 28... read more

The residential construction sector has historically been a late adopter of new technology, so when a major homebuilder decides to take the leap and embrace a new technology, the industry takes notice. Lennar, ranked as the number two homebuilder in the U.S. for 2021 in both total closings and gross revenue according to builderonline.com, embraced a new technology in 2013 when they started incorporating solar into their new construction. "Every home that we put solar on moving forward, is us making a difference for that family, that community and overall, the environment with which we live in." - Greg McGuff, Regional President of Lennar What propelled one leading homebuilder to become an early adopter of photovoltaic systems and how has this helped set them up for long-term success? Learn this and four of the benefits of building with solar in this free study. Access Case Study About Sunnova With over 35 homebuilder partners across the country, Sunnova... read more

The Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) Academy has released a new training course for those interested in pursuing a Net Zero Carbon Building Professional Designation. This designation will cover the compelling trends in codes, standards, and voluntary programs that will drive interest and future requirements for accounting of both the operational and embodied carbon of the materials and processes used in building new homes. Participants will learn the essentials of the latest carbon accounting tools and how they can be used to help design homes by selecting materials and methods that optimize the carbon implications of the building over the next 20 to 30 years. Case studies will be reviewed for different climate zones and house styles to demonstrate the impact that cost-effective and low-carbon decisions can have. These lessons could also be applied to major renovation projects as well. The importance behind achieving net zero is obvious. According to the ... read more

CVF homes works with award winning architects to design one of a kind projects. Since inception, CVF homes has distinguished itself repeatedly by specializing in sustainable residential infill development and unique custom homes in San Antonio Texas. Their projects have been successful because they focus on great design, energy, water and material efficient buildings with healthy indoors. CVF homes has two primary goals: 1) To design sustainable projects that integrate the latest technology and the most energy and water efficient systems while minimizing their carbon footprint and 2) To design for humans – providing for practical requirements for how people live today while incorporating the outdoor with the indoor design elements to harmonize modern day living. They are committed to certifying all of their projects by the Zero Energy Ready Home program from the Department of Energy, Build San Antonio Green standards, ENERGY STAR and Indoor airPLUS. Learn More... read more