Dwell Emerald Star Home Shows Market Transformation in Action

The Northwest EcoBuilding Guild’s latest case study on Dwell Development’s Net-Positive Emerald Star Home in Seattle reflects a market transformation underway in Seattle.  And with it comes great news from the King-Snohomish Built Green Program. There has been a strong surge in new single family homes being certified in Seattle, up from 33% in 2014 to 58% of the market in 2016. This dramatic growth is clear evidence that homeowners increasingly place a high value on green, energy efficient homes. In addition to great consumer education, this trend can also be attributed to the incentives available like the Priority Green Expedited permitting process and Incentive Zoning program, which benefit builders who build with certification standards in mind.

One such builder, Dwell Development, is leading the charge when it comes to green building in King County. Each of the more than one hundred homes Dwell has built have been 5-Star or Emerald Star certified. Dwell was among the first to achieve an Emerald Star rating with the award-winning net-positive home they built in Ballard in 2015, a test-case for Built Green’s newest, most rigorous certification and the first project in Seattle to achieve this rating. Dwell continues to push the envelope when it comes to innovative green building strategies. Set for completion in Spring 2017, their current Capitol Hill project is aiming for 5-Star certification and will include a living roof, an EnviroDri exterior weather barrier system, and net-zero energy consumption.

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