News

Scottsdale Develops New Green Building Standards
Anthony C. Floyd, AIA, LEED-AP
Scottsdale Green Building Manager
7/17/06

The City of Scottsdale has revised its green building rating checklist to reflect industry-wide changes in the home building market.

Scottsdale’s Green Building Program was established in 1998 as a voluntary program to reduce the environmental impact of building.  The new checklist addresses regional issues by rating the environmental impact and health of a home in the categories of site, energy, water, indoor environmental quality, and material resources.

The following regional and national changes in the building and environmental arena is moving the building industry towards environmentally responsible practices and has guided the Scottsdale checklist update:

• Energy code changes in the 2006 International Residential Code (IRC) and International Energy Conservation Codes (IECC).
• Energy Policy Act of 2005 tax incentives (effective 1/1/06) for homes utilizing solar technologies and/or designed to use 50% less energy than outlined by the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
• Regional issues and practices associated with the desert urban environment including water, solar energy, and the heat island effect.
• Improved building practices for constructing energy efficient homes as a result of building science training programs supported by third-party energy certification organizations, local Utility Companies, and State Energy Office initiatives.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines, standards and programs including Energy Star and Water Sense.
• New green building materials and products that improve energy efficiency (e.g., insulation, radiant barriers, shading devices), indoor environmental quality (e.g., reduced off-gassing), material resource efficiency (e.g., recycled content, waste reduction), and water efficiency (e.g., plumbing, irrigation).
• Improved green product labeling programs including Energy Star, Green Seal, GreenGuard, FloorScore (Resilient Flooring Council), Green Label Plus (Carpet and Rug Institute), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI).
• National Association of Home Builders Model Green Home Building Guidelines
• U.S. Green Building Council pilot LEED for Homes program.
• More informed general public on indoor health, energy and environmental issues.

The green building checklist is used as a tool for measuring environmental impacts of a home.  It guides the building design during the planning stage.  However, once the plans are final and approved for building permit, inspections are necessary to verify adherence to the green checklist criteria.  As such, the new checklist will incorporate a streamlined green building inspection process.  The city-building inspectors will inspect for green building checklist items as part of their regular building inspection process.  Self-certified checklist items have been identified and accountability will be placed with the builder who will be required to sign a self-certification form upon final inspection for those items not inspected by the city.  The self-certification will become a permanent city record along with the Certificate of Occupancy.  Scottsdale’s new green building checklist and process is expected to go into effective September 1, 2006.