Re: [GBlist] Green Modular Home -Portland

["Mike Rogers" <rogers.mike@verizon.net>]

Hi Ted,

A couple of points,

> STAR
> only looks at energy consumption, right? That leaves health and resale
> value, not to mention insurance rates and issues of quality and longevity.

The focus of Energy Star label is make is easy for average consumers to
recognize energy-efficiency, not broad green building criteria.  However,
there is a requirement that ES labeled homes meet ventilation standards, and
there is also an effort to address construction techniques that promote
durability.  Further, the question was not just about energy, so I tried to
use examples that go beyond energy-efficiency (recognizing at the same time
the efficiency IS a part of green building).  The EarthCrafted homes
designation clearly has non-energy requirements.  And those familiar with
the work the BSC, CARB, and others in the Building America program now that
they are not limited to merely energy-efficiency, but they also pay careful
attention to health & safety, durability, and resource use.  Indeed, any
effort to promote energy-efficiency and "green" building needs to address
all of these issues.

> All I have posted is the sad facts
> of  manufactured housing.

I would argue that the "sad facts" you refer to are of ANY poorly made
housing, whether it is "manufactured" on-site, or off-site.  There is little
inherent about the structure itself of a site-built home that makes it
better than a home whose main components are built down the road and
assembled on-site, unless the house uses predominantly materials from the
site itself.  Merely implying that manufactured homes can't be green because
they use too many products that are taboo fairly represents neither the
possibilities nor the actual examples of people trying to address green
building issues in manufactured housing.

And all of this needs to be looked at from the stand point of affordability
in addition to other green criteria.  If only a few people think they can
afford to buy green, then only a few people will.  I applaud manufactured
housing outfits and all other builders that attempt to truely address green
building and do it in such a way that people can afford it.

Cheers,
Mike


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