Earth Advantage Remodel Certification

This past June Earth Advantage (EA) released it’s Remodel Certification program.  This program provides a clear pathway for homeowners to upgrade their existing homes to high performance standards, and to have those upgrades measured and certified by an independent third party.


 
The first step towards certification is an evaluation of the existing home using the Earth Advantage Points Worksheet tool. This tool is the culmination of more than a decade of experience in conducting green building certifications for new homes. Using the Worksheet tool the home is evaluated in five areas or “pillars” of sustainability: energy, health, land, materials, and water. The process assesses the green features already existing in the house and on the home site. Upon completion of the evaluation the homeowner will know how green their home is on a measurable scale. Only an accredited Earth Advantage Remodeler who has attended the training and passed an exam can conduct this evaluation.
 
After the evaluation is completed, the homeowner will know how close their house is to being eligible for certification. A home can be certified in one or more of the five Earth Advantage Remodel pillars, and these certifications can be obtained over time.  Once all five pillars are certified, the house has obtained full home certification in one of three levels of achievement, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Therefore, if a homeowner desires certification but cannot implement all of the improvements necessary during the current renovation project, they can plan a phased remodeling strategy that will ultimately result in full home certification.
 
Many other remodel certifications across the country allow for a room-by-room certification. A homeowner could certify a kitchen or bathroom, regardless of the sustainability rating of the rest of the house or the ways in which those rooms integrate with the larger system of the home. Earth Advantage spent over a year analyzing other programs, surveying local and national remodelers, and then consulted with an advisory committee of prominent remodelers on the best program design. We concluded that a room-by-room certification was prone to greenwashing[i]. For instance, the master bathroom might be green certified after a renovation, while bathrooms in the rest of the home still have toilets with flush rates ranging from 3.5 gallons per flush (the norm from 1980 to 1992) to 6 gallons per flush (pre 1980 toilets), as well as other decidedly unhealthy and wasteful attributes. The choice to certify using our pillars, was determined in order to maximize the impact of creating a more sustainable home, treating the home as a holistic system, not just a series of connected rooms.

Certification in a single pillar requires that all prerequisites and the minimum point total for that pillar be satisfied. The prerequisites define the ‘green’ baseline for a healthy, durable, comfortable home that delivers energy savings and conserves environmental resources. Prerequisites may apply to a single certification pillar , and there are prerequisites that are so intrinsic to a quality renovation they are included in every one of our certification pillars. These include:
1)   Inspect and abate for lead.
2)   Investigate and remediate for mold and mildew.
3)   Clean job site practices.
 
In addition to prerequisites, there are elective measures that can earn points toward a certification. Our Points Worksheet provides a wide range of elective measures to choose from so that the path toward certification can be tailored to meet the needs and goals of the homeowner.
 
Another effective way to utilize a per-pillar certification is when a homeowner’s main objective is to improve the energy efficiency and comfort of their home. Using modeling software such as CakeSystems™, the remodeling contractor can accurately measure how energy efficient the house is after the remodeling is complete. If the energy efficiency of the home meets our baseline target, and all energy pillar prerequisites are met, the house will earn our energy certification. However the house will not be certified in the other four pillars.
 
The main benefit of any certification program is that the homeowner receives the peace of mind knowing independent experts, with advanced training, inspected their home. We call that “Inspected for Quality”. Our Points Worksheet combined with careful inspections assure a quality job has been performed.
 
Additional benefits are evident in the recent studies that show green certified homes sell for a premium. The Portland RMLS service has a field to designate the green certification status of a home, including a field for Certified Retrofits.