Home show's focus is eco-friendly construction

SAN FRANCISCO -- It may not be easy being green for Kermit the Frog, but being green certainly has become trendy for builders.

So-called green, eco-friendly, energy-efficient and sustainable building products were all the rage at the recent Pacific Coast Builders Conference home building trade show at the Moscone Center.

"A lot of people are very interested in green building and energy efficiency," said Michael Hodgson, president of ConSol. His Stockton-based company helps builders comply with new energy-efficiency standards and provides mechanical engineering design services. "The whole green phenomenon is here to stay, and it's becoming more structured."

New laws and building standards are forcing builders to create homes that are easier on the environment now and in the future. Virtually every year, California building codes impose new rules mandating better energy efficiency, reduced use of water and increased use of recycled materials.

"This is not a fad," said Hodgson, whose company started in 1981. "This is now building science."

It wasn't always that way.

More than two-thirds of California's homes were built before the state had any energy standards, Hodgson said. Homes built today, however, are significantly more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than ever before.

"I don't think the public understands that yet," Hodgson said.

The 650 building product suppliers at the PCBC show did their best to drill home that message -- the 18,000 attendees couldn't turn around without seeing one "green" sign or another.

Among those at the show was Joseph Anfuso, president of Florsheim Homes, which has built numerous subdivisions in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. Florsheim recently was given a 2008 Energy Star Leadership in Housing Award for building homes that exceed energy-efficiency requirements.

"We have made great strides in achieving specific goals related to conservation and efficiency," Anfuso said. "Our objective was twofold: to build new homes with the essential components that promote strict conservation and then to ultimately help our homeowners save money on energy expenses."

After visiting PCBC exhibits, however, Anfuso said builders have to be careful about which new eco-friendly technologies they embrace.

"You have to consider the cost compared to the benefit," Anfuso warned. "Especially in the San Joaquin Valley, home buyers care about the price per square foot of a home, and nothing else matters."

Valley builders join movement

Despite the challenging home sales market -- or perhaps because of it -- an increasing number of the valley's builders are going green.

Modesto's JKB Homes this spring, for instance, started installing electricity-producing solar roofs as a standard feature on its Stanislaus County homes.

SCM Homes, also based in Modesto, began building certified Energy Star homes in Newman two years ago, and it estimates its home buyers save about 40 percent on their energy costs.

Stockton's Grupe Co. is working with the U.S. Department of Energy in a new energy-saving initiative called the Builders Challenge.

"Achieving these efficiencies does require sophisticated design and installation techniques that go beyond standard industry practice, but the competitive advantage of these homes with their high quality means faster sales," said Mark Fisher, Grupe's president.

"We believe this kind of high-performance building is the right thing for our nation, our natural environment and our customers."