Our homes will qualify for both the Built Green Colorado and ENERGY STAR certification programs.

Jon Rovick, founder of Spirit Builders, has been building natural homes since 1990 and has completed Colorado State University’s Green Builders Certification Program as well as the Solar Energy International’s Passive Solar Design Program and Solar and Radiant Heat Systems Program.

Continuing education for all members of Spirit Builders is a top priority. Together we have been educating ourselves about natural, healthy, sustainable building through courses, seminars, and conferences, as well as participation in local green building groups. We are active in presenting locally to other builders, professionals and lay persons interested in how to create natural, healthy structures. We have an extensive library to support our work and are continually meeting with visionaries and leaders of this next industrial building revolution in order to discuss design, products and innovations.

The practice of improving the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy, water and materials, and reducing building impacts on human health and the environment through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance and removal – the complete building lifecycle. (Office of the Federal Environmental Executive)

That which “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (UN Commission of Environment and Development)

To earn the ENERGY STAR label, a home must meet guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and include additional energy saving features that typically make them 20 – 30% more efficient than standard homes.

The home’s actual energy performance must be certified by an independent Home Energy Rater who is responsible for conducting onsite testing and inspections of installed measures such as insulation, high performance windows, building envelope, duct systems, and efficient heating and cooling equipment. Additional ENERGY STAR Home information can be found at www.energystar.gov.

A green material has at least a few of these characteristics:

• Low in embodied energy, meaning that the creation or attainment of this product does not involve immense amounts of natural resources
• Materials produced sustainably-harvested, extracted, processed, and transported efficiently and cleanly.
• Materials produced by socially and environmentally responsible companies
• Made from natural or renewable materials
• Efficient in their use of resources
• Reliant on renewable resources
• Locally produced
• Made from recycled waste
• Durable
• Recyclable
• Nontoxic
• Nonpolluting

(Adapted from The Natural House, by Daniel Chiras, pg. 351)

Many green products now cost the same as the conventional products they are replacing. Spirit Builders will keep you informed about all your choices through the building process so that you can make the most educated decisions at every juncture. Your home should cost the same as a conventional home of the same quality and will save money over the lifecycle of the home due to energy efficiency and longer lasting materials.

The addition of some systems such as solar hot water, specialty fireplaces and certain insulations (but not all) would increase the initial cost of the home but reduce costs of running the home for the long term. We at Spirit Builders have also found that a good design allows for the addition of higher-end finishes while keeping costs down.