Apr 13 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Ingrid Stegemoeller Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash.

Homes powered with solar energy, plumbed with self-composting toilets and topped with dirt roofs may seem a little far-fetched, but they'll soon be an option for local environmentally conscious homebuyers.

The Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities is launching a Built Green program to address the environmental impacts of housing construction.

"It's a comprehensive approach to building a house," said Jeff Losey, executive director of the HBA.

"We want to make sure builders can respond to consumer desire," he said.

The program is part of the Built Green Washington initiative, which helps local programs network and receive continuing education, said Tiffany Speir, president of Built Green Washington and government affairs director at the Master Builders Association of Pierce County.

The state program is designed to recognize different construction needs in Washington's various climates. There are about 15 programs across the state.

Losey hasn't seen a big demand for Built Green in the Mid-Columbia, but it's coming, he said. And builders say they've seen an increase in interest for energy-efficient homes.

"Their eyes are starting to open more and more" in the last few years, said builder Fred Giacci of his customers.

Giacci owns Devoted Builders, which started using green methods and products several years ago. All homes the company builds are Energy Star certified, which means they are at least 15 percent more energy efficient than a standard home.

He's also built more than 40 homes that are certified Built Green through the King/Snohomish counties program.

Education about the value of building green is important, Giacci said, especially as people consider the other green involved: Finances.

Experts hesitate to offer estimates of cost increases because the numbers depend on individual builders and the amount of green building incorporated into each house.

Built Green officials estimate that a one- to three-star home could cost 1 percent to 2 percent more, whereas a four- or five-star home -- which requires third-party authentication -- could cost 3 percent more, Losey said.

That adds up to a few thousand dollars to the cost of the home.

The top two levels aren't part of the Tri-Cities/Walla Walla program yet, but Losey said he hopes to add them later this year.

Added expense is a concern for many buyers, said Jeremy Asmus, a builder representative for Ron Asmus Homes Inc. in Kennewick.

They're curious about solar panels and radiant heat, but don't want to pay for it, he said.

"The longer that stuff's out there, the more inexpensive it is," said Asmus, adding that for his company, building an Energy Star home adds about $2,300 to the cost of a home, not including rebates builders get for the green efforts.

Energy Star certification is one item on the local Built Green checklist. But because the list is still in draft form, it hasn't been decided how many points it will get.

Ron Asmus Homes is one of several builders at Creekstone, a Kennewick development in which all homes built this year and thereafter will be Energy Star certified.

That's about 300 homes, said Gretchen Beck, sales manager and project coordinator for developer Newland Communities.

"The energy savings over the life of the house far outweigh the extra mortgage costs," said Bruce Manclark of Northwest Energy Star.

About 14 percent of new homes in the Tri-City region were built Energy Star certified in 2007, he said.

The west side of the state was at nearly 5 percent, while Bend, Ore., led the Northwest at 18 percent, he said.

Local builders who are Built Green certified get points for each green practice or item implemented in a home, in categories such as energy and materials efficiency, indoor air quality and others.

The half-dozen builders who are members of the fledgling Tri-City and Walla Walla program are using Pierce County standards right now, until guidelines specific to the area are finished later this spring.

When the local program is up and running, certified builders -- who have completed an orientation and commit to continuing education -- can use the checklist of more than 200 green options to suit their business and customer needs.

That might mean including certain features in all of their homes or offering homebuyers the chance to choose customized plans.

Sometimes people think green building must be extreme, but the program offers three levels that are based on a point system. The higher the level, the more points needed for certification.

For example, some items on the list are using materials produced within a 500-mile radius (worth two to five points), building a recycling center into the kitchen or utility room (worth four points), or choosing a site within a quarter-mile of a transit stop (worth three points). Those ideas still are in draft form and could change.

The green mentality Giacci maintains at work has affected his personal life.

"It really has helped tremendously," he said. "Instead of just doing something, (I ask) 'Wait, what impact does this have?' "

Even though much of the demand for green homes is coming from people moving here from the west sides of Washington and Oregon, Losey and his colleagues say a rush is imminent.

"You know it's coming, you hear about it every day," Losey said. "Built Green is to stay ahead of the tidal wave that's coming."