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First Home Builder Signs Up to Participate in
Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership

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Some of the homes’ green features will include radiant heat barriers, tank-less hot water heaters, low-flow water fixtures, dual-flush low-flow toilets, house paints with low to no volatile organic compounds, dual-glazed and tinted windows filled with argon gas, window awnings, solar panels to produce electricity, a water catchment system, Energy Star appliances, and air conditioning units with a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio rating of 17, he said.

He estimates that building green will add about 3 to 5 percent to the cost of constructing the homes, but those extra costs will be recouped in five to seven years because of the savings on resources, such as electricity, gas and water.

For example, he believes the solar panels will produce enough electricity to lower a $700-$1,000 monthly power bill in the summer to about $150.

“We believe this is going to be ground-breaking for home building in Las Vegas,” he said. “We’re going to show that you can still build a phenomenal, beautiful home that can compete with the amenities and features found in the most luxurious custom homes, but include energy efficient and environmentally sensitive products.

“We’re building them to improve quality of life in our custom homes; we’re building homes that are comfortable to live in by incorporating a variety of resource-saving processes.”

Plaster said he envisions significant benefits for homeowners who eventually buy green homes.

“First, they’re going to have much lower operating costs by helping to reduce their need for resources like gas, water and electricity. They’re going to save a lot of money over the lifespan of the home. They’re also going to benefit from a higher level of indoor air quality, and therefore, more comfortable living.”

Ensuring a higher level of indoor air quality is a major component of the green building requirements. For example, the requirements call for, in part, ensuring particleboard, medium-density fiberboard and hardwood plywood substrates are certified to low formaldehyde emission standards; composite wood/agrifiber panel products must either contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins or must be third-party certified for low formaldehyde emissions; installing carpet and padding that hold “Green Label” certificates from Carpet and Rug Institute’s indoor air quality testing program or meet equivalent