ActiveWest Builders designs homes and communities based on the stringent guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) LEED for Homes. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings.
ActiveWest Builders typically achieves LEED Platinum certifications, the highest attainable, and LEED Gold, the second highest.
We use third-party certification to meet Energy Star and EPA Indoor airPLUS requirements.
Sustainability is generally defined as: avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance. Sustainable building, or “green building,” refers to the sustainability of a structure throughout its life-cycle: from planning to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. To this end, we design and plan carefully to reduce our impact on the environment and allow our home buyers to do the same.
Why is this important to a home buyer? It’s not only a good thing to do, it’s a smart thing to do. You will reduce your ecological footprint as well as your utility bills. You will enjoy the benefits of a clean, healthy indoor environment. And you will have a beautiful home that you can be proud to call your own.
A “high performance” home not only maximizes energy savings, but also improves the comfort, health, and safety of its occupants. ActiveWest Builders partners with Energy Star and Indoor airPLUS to provide high performance homes for our customers.
Why is this important for a home buyer? Your productivity is directly related to your health. Issues like mold, radon, carbon monoxide and toxic chemicals have received greater attention than ever as poor indoor air quality has been linked to many health problems. Homes displaying the Energy Star Certified Home and Indoor airPLUS labels provide unparalleled energy efficiency, comfort, durability, indoor air quality, and peace of mind.
AWB homes are virtually free of indoor air pollution by using low or zero VOC paints and stains, and low VOC millwork.
Our radiant heat system doesn’t force contaminants or dust back into the air the way conventional forced-air systems do. It's a very comfortable, non-drafty, consistent way to heat.
We spend 90% of our time indoors, so where we live and work has a significant impact on our physical health, well-being, and lifestyle.
ActiveWest Builders provides a HERS Report, including the HERS Index Score, with every new home. The HERS Index is a measurement of a home’s energy efficiency, and the HERS Report will outline the energy features of the home and the expected cost of utility bills.
Why is this important for a home buyer? Buying a home means more than just making the monthly mortgage payments. Energy costs play a significant role in determining the affordability of a home. You may even qualify for an Energy Efficient Mortgage.
Our lighting packages use one-tenth the electricity of incandescent lighting, and bulbs need only be changed once every year.
We use R-24 Eco-Batt wall insulation on a 2×6, 24-inch-on-center wall construction to allow for a greater area of insulation.
Radiant-heat floors use 95%+ efficiency boilers with indirect water tanks.
Argon gas filled windows with a U-Value equal to or less than 0.30 are standard in an AWB Home.
Dennis Cunningham has a passion for developing active communities and designing quality, healthy, green homes. He has been in the planning and development profession since 1990, after earning his Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Purdue University and studying Real Estate Development at UC San Diego.
Dennis has been an active board and committee member with the National Association of Home Builders since 2006, including serving as chairman of the 55+ Housing Council. In 2015, he founded the Lifestyle Residential Development Council for the Urban Land Institute.
Why is this important for a home buyer? ActiveWest Builders is involved in the project from beginning to end, from the planning of the neighborhood to the final construction of your home. And, you can be assured that we are keeping up with the latest home building regulations and trends.
Our communities are built in areas that are convenient to amenities and provide opportunities for exercise and outdoor enjoyment. This is not only socially and environmentally responsible, but also supports our goal to provide our home buyers with an active, healthy lifestyle.
To support our goal of sustainable building practices, we typically choose “urban infill” locations, where there is an existing infrastructure. This reduces the need for additional development of utilities and other services, which in turn reduces the consumption of materials and resources, construction waste, and disturbance of the site’s biodiversity.