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Energy Efficient Buildings

The BuildSmart Program

What is BuildSmart?

Boulder County, Colorado’s
BuildSmart is a green building program that sets requirements and recommendations for improving energy efficiency, conserving water and resources and reducing waste generated by new residential construction and additions. Its codes are considered among the most stringent in the country.

The new regulations, which have been called "revolutionary" by some members of Boulder's thriving green-building community, will mandate that new houses in unincorporated Boulder County be energy efficient, conserve water and, in some cases, install renewable-energy systems.

The BuildSmart Regulations

• Deconstruction: All existing structures on the property must be "deconstructed" to salvage as many materials as possible. The builders must create a deconstruction plan, which will, at a minimum, save all reusable cabinets, doors, windows, flooring and fixtures as well as lumber and wood sheathing.
• Reuse and recycling: Extra wood, scrap metal, cardboard and concrete from construction must be recycled on site, sent to a recycling facility or donated to a building-materials exchange.
• Energy efficiency: New homes must be built to meet energy-efficiency requirements established by the nationally recognized Home Energy Rating System Index. A home that meets the minimum standards of the 2004 International Energy Conservation Code scores a 100 on the "HERS Index." A net-zero energy home -- or the most efficient home possible -- gets a score of zero.
  
  BuildSmart will require homes between 1,000 and 3,000 square feet to have a HERS score of 60. Homes between 3,000 and 4,000 square feet will need to have a score of 40, and homes between 4,000 and 5,000 square feet will need a score of 25. All houses larger than 5,000 square feet will need a HERS rating of 10.
• On-site renewable energy: In addition, the larger the home, the more on-site renewable energy -- such as photovoltaic or geothermal -- is required.
• Water conservation: Water-saving fixtures such as low-flow toilets and shower heads must be used inside the house.

Future Actions and Goals

The commissioners plan to revisit the BuildSmart program in 2009 to incorporate changes, since green-building and renewable-energy technologies are evolving quickly.

Advice for Interested Communities

Buildsmart’s codes were passed following a series of 15 public meetings spread out over 2008. Credit for gaining public support for Buildsmart is attributed by some to an e-mail sent out by Boulder Commissioner Will Toor soliciting more-varied public opinions.

"At previous meetings before our Board of Review we have been hearing primarily from members of property rights organizations and representatives of the Colorado Association of Homebuilders who oppose the proposed regulations," Toor wrote. "It would be very helpful to also hear the perspectives of green building and energy efficiency advocates." Toor explained his solicitation for pro-BuildSmart comments by saying he thought that during the year-long process of creating the code, many of the original advocates of the green-building plan had quit coming to meetings.

Links and Downloads

• Buildsmart Program Description
• Boulder County Buildsmart Summary
• Boulder County Buildsmart Handouts

Contact

Dale Case, Land Use Director

Email: dcase@bouldercounty.org

Land Use Department
PO Box 471
Boulder, CO 80306

Phone: 303-441-3930

Fax: 303-441-4856