Earth Day Observations from Builder.Media and The ABC Green Home Project
Newport Beach, California (April 22, 2020) — With COVID-19 uppermost in people’s minds, we would like to share our own gentle story about how one B2B trade media firm is making a difference by advocating for and building healthier homes with greater sustainability, improved indoor air quality, lower utility costs, and third party certifications to prove its success.
Since 1990 the Peninsula Publishing Inc., Builder.Media team has been advocating sustainable and energy efficient best practices in the U.S. home building community. Commencing in California, the building industry trade publisher now has a U.S. audience of 220,000 home building industry subscribers across the country. The Builder.Media Group of magazine, website and e-newsletter platforms also includes Builder and Developer Magazine, www.bdmag.com, the e-newsletter at www.builderbytes.com, and the titles www.residentialcontractormag.com, 50plusbuilder.com, and www.optionsmag.com.
Believing that more sustainable home building specific content and information was needed, 15 years ago in 2005, the company launched Green Home Builder Magazine, www.greenhomebuildermag.com, a showcase of builders, architects and design team’s work championing high performance American home building, design, technology and construction for a growing audience of home building industry professionals more committed to learning about the advances and changes in green home building first hand.
10 years ago in 2010, the company launched The ABC Green Home Project, to demonstrate best practices in sustainable home building to a very high Net-Zero Energy standard by developing Affordable, Buildable, Certified Green Homes that any builder could build, on any lot and achieve Net-Zero, LEED Certified results in their own homes.
The ABC Green Home Project teamed up with two big California state utilities, Southern California Edison and Sempra Utilities Southern California Gas Company, to develop high performance Net-Zero Energy homes, which produce as much power as they consume from renewable energy sources, showcase the application of building science in their high performance walls ceilings, attics and framing systems, and feature use of efficient and sustainable building materials.
Through thoughtful design and engineering of the building envelopes of these homes and the application of smart home technology, The ABC Green Home Project has developed 4 unique homes above Net-Zero and LEED Platinum standards.
The recently completed ABC 4.0 is the project’s first LUXE build, which achieved an Energy Design Rating of -2.7 (Net Positive), or 37 Percent above the 2019 California Title 24 Building Code.
All ABC Green Homes are built using building materials sourced from Green Home Builder Magazine advertisers. To date, over 150 manufacturers have participated in these demonstration home builds, affording the project an opportunity to share high design and construction standards using readily available materials that are sourced from within the existing U.S. home building industry supply chain.
“Nothing made from unobtainium is used to achieve the project’s design, energy or construction goals,” said Nick Slevin, Publisher and Developer of The ABC Green Home Project.
Project management, architect, MEP, structural engineering, civil engineering, soils engineering, GC, specialty sub trades, interior design, indoor air quality consultants, landscape design and construction staffs work collaboratively online to design and engineer each home, while problem solving to achieve the energy goals of each build.
The development team engages local contractors and then oversees the construction process digitally via an array of on-site webcams, as well as with regular online team meetings and coordinating with planning departments on materials and supplier deliveries to the project. On site, the Project Superintendent manages construction, personnel and the job site, which is traditionally open to visits by interested parties by appointment.
To date, The ABC Green Home Project has received 44 separate commendations, recognitions, prizes, and awards and has earned Advanced Energy Certifications from 10 separate agencies and organizations. The next ABC Green Home is now beginning to take shape. The project’s development team is viewing lots in Southern California for suitability. The stricter California Title 24 building codes form an ideal backdrop for the construction of higher performing Net-Zero demonstration homes.
Building industry suppliers and trade partners interested in participating in The ABC 5.0 build are encouraged to come forward to get involved.
For more information please visit www.abcgreenhome.com, www.builder.media or email nslevin@builder.media.
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About Peninsula Publishing’s Builder.Media
Founded in 1990 by Group Publisher and CEO Nick Slevin with the launch of Builder & Developer Magazine supporting the U.S. home building industry, the company has grown to include Green Home Builder Magazine, Residential Contractor Magazine, 50+Builder, Options For Today’s Fine Homes and American Infrastructure Magazine. The first industry publisher with a website, www.bdmag.com went live on May 18th, 1996. The first e-newsletter, www.builderbytes.com was launched in 2008. The ABC Green Home brand, www.abcgreenhome.com was launched in 2010. The group website www.builder.media was launched in 2016. Follow the company online on social media:
