In a stark contrast with how construction used to be thought of, the green building movement has been a shift away from the traditional concerns about money and time. The betterment of our planet, as it turns out, is quickly becoming a bigger priority. Since March of this year, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program has seen around 20,852 new LEED registered and certified projects.

Most of this can be attributed to the fact that builders view green buildings as more economical in the long run, and recent incentives on the part of the government have added an extra encouragement.  But while these positives have been talked about pretty often, there are some risks associated with going green that still leave many builders wary.

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Shelby SuperCars, makers of the “World’s Fastest Supercar” the Ultimate Aero, is diversifying its lineup quite a bit. After announcing earlier this year that they would be unveiling the world’s “fastest EV” this summer, SSC is hoping to market more than just outrageously fast (and expensive) supercars.

It seems they want to get into the hybrid motorhome market and plan to offer an RV with an all-electric range of 150 miles. They also have ambitious plans of providing over a quarter of the engines needed to meet Obama’s goal of a million plug-in electric cars by 2015.

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With sustainability issues coming to the forefront in the housing market, it’s not surprising that builders and developers are scrambling to implement some radical changes in their methodology. By what means does this occur? Often builders find it easiest to enlist the help of a third party resource. Third party organizations can introduce builders to a more complete array of information than they might be able to discover on their own, and can help a builder identify his or her own best course of action.

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Looking for a builder may not be the best first step, either. Working with an architect, rather than having a builder try to “green up” an existing plan that they have built before, may lead to a much more satisfying project in the end. Builders may believe that they can add some green features to their existing product line, but I think much better results are had when a client works with both their architect and their builder in order to create a green building as a team.

Architects are perhaps better situated to offer their clients advice about the variety of options they are considering without trying to sell them something. There are also issues such as passive solar design that require a much broader approach, like an architect offers, than what most builders can offer. Much of green building already incorporates “not doing more work but doing more thoughtful work.” Working with an architect engages that thoughtful planning process, and leads to better and more fully considered plans and better homes.

This is also why there are not lots of green “plan book” plans. Factors such as the region of the country you are in, as well as the orientation on the building site (to name just a couple), will have a large effect on how the house performs. A very efficient, appropriate design for a house in Vermont will probably be totally inappropriate if it is built in Arizona, for example. And there are far too many cases of subdivisions with the same house plan built on both the north and south sides of the street, completely ignoring how the sun is going to affect each house.

Another point that was made at the conference was that before investing in an expensive system like photovoltaic panels (which have a relatively long payback period in Michigan) you should first make the house as efficient as possible. First of all, the costs of improving the efficiency of the house are lower than the costs of a PV system, and secondly, if the house is running efficiently, the PV system will be providing a greater percentage of the house’s energy needs. Take the “low hanging fruit” first, before getting into more elaborate systems.

>> Learn more about How to Choose a Solar Installer for your Home at Renewzle.

Consider as well what “green” means for your particular project. A photovoltaic solar panel installer might well be a green builder, but they are probably not the ones I want to talk to about installing formaldehyde-free cabinets in my kitchen. Again, I would tend to prefer people with good, broad experience in their field of expertise. But the things that matter to you should help drive the selection process.

When building a new home, a homebuyer can use EnergyStar requirements, for example, as criteria for a more efficient house. Another option would be the pilot program of LEED for Homes, if the house is being built in one of the twelve regions of the country where the program is currently available. These guidelines can be used to get a home that meets some independent criteria for green.

This is not to say that there are not resources avialable to help you find the people you will want to work with on your project. Professional organizations can sometimes help guide you to the people best able to work with you. Local chapters of the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB/HBA) and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) may have committees on green building. Speaking from local experience, the southeast Michigan NARI was instrumental in organizing the “Remodel Green Midwest” conference I wrote about a few weeks ago, and they have a very active committee on green building. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) also has resources to help you find an architect, as well as advice about working with an architect.

Lastly, you will probably want to talk to several different people in order to find someone you are going to be comfortable working with. If you don’t interview more than one, then you should have some very good references about them from people whose opinions you can trust. Ideally, you should talk to a few people to get information and find the right person to work with. Building a house should be a collaborative effort, not a product selection.

SSC GREEN AND JONES & SON CHASSIS TO PRODUCE HYBRID MOTORHOMES

Jones & Son Chassis, Inc., North America’s premier custom motorhome chassis designer has entered into an exclusive agreement with SSC Green Inc. of West Richland, Washington to integrate SSC Green’s All Electric Scalable Powertrain (AESP) to produce a hybrid motorhome chassis platform.

After a year of meeting with several companies and researching various entities in the EV drivetrain industry, “SSC Green’s AESP proved to be the only solution to meet the demanding specifications and capabilities of our motorhome chassis.”

Jones & Sons Chassis design specification requires a 500-mile range motorhome that must achieve 150 miles on battery pack, and then switch over to “hybrid mode” for an additional 350 miles. During hybrid mode the onboard generator will charge the battery pack. SSC Green’s controller will easily charge the battery pack overnight with 50amp/220 volt standard camp ground electrical service. Jones believes SSC Green is the solution for supplying cost effective, reliable hybrid powertrain technology for the motorhome market.

SSC Green is a subsidiary of Shelby SuperCars the producer of the Ultimate Aero, the “World’s Fastest Production Car”. With a track-record for excellence and innovation of ground breaking technology SSC Green’s AESP presents a real alternative to motorhomes powered exclusively by petroleum based fuel.

SSC GREEN, INC. SUBMITS GRANT TO EXPAND PRODUCTION LINE

SSC Green, Inc. Submits Grant to Expand Production Line, Produce Enough Electric Powertrains to Satisfy 26% of President Obama’s Goal to have One Million EV’s on the Road by 2015.

SSC Green today announced it has submitted plans for approximately $30 million to the Department of Energy’s Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative (FOA DE-FOA-0000026) to fund its current manufacturing facilities expansion plan. SSC Green and its partners would contribute half the funds with the Department of Energy contributing the remaining funds. The expansion would produce enough All-Electric Scalable Powertrains (AESP) to power 260,000 vehicles, 26% of President Obama’s goal to have one million EV’s on the road by 2015.

SSC Green’s AESP is the final product of a revolutionary concept; a cost effective, mass-producible powertrain compact and power dense enough to fit a wide variety of applications. Each electric motor is power dense, weighing only 175 lbs, less than 1 cubic foot in volume with output of up to 500 hp, and scalable in single motor (100 hp – 500 hp) and twin motor (501 hp – 1000 hp) configurations. The physical size of the motor and controller remain the same for every application allowing for cost effective mass-production and ease of implementation. Computer programming alone, instead of costly re-tooling, scales the power output of the electric motors.

“A unique mindset and approach to innovating groundbreaking technology is a fundamental necessity in order to be a viable entity in the supercar market. Being the producer of the world’s benchmark supercar it was logical to broaden SSC’s scope to developing cutting edge Green technologies,” said Jerod Shelby, President/CEO of SSC Green. “The philosophical and problem solving synergies between the Green and supercar markets are strikingly identical and have led us to the next breakthrough in automotive technology.”

Major outcomes of the expansion to mass produce SSC Green’s All-Electric Scalable Powertrain (AESP) include the creation of domestic jobs (70 immediate construction, 203 direct, and 12,000 indirect) and rapidly bringing to market a revolutionary technology to combat the downfalls of petroleum-based fuels (cost, foreign dependency, environmental impact). Additionally, SSC Green is sourcing raw materials and sub components for its exclusively US based AESP production from American suppliers, further stimulating all relevant industries. SSC Green’s approach allows mass production of the AESP to begin 18 months from the project start date. By 2015, SSC Green will produce enough AESPs to power 260,000 vehicles, 26% of President Obama’s goal to have one million EV’s on the road by 2015. Additionally, SSC Green has received an overwhelming amount of broad bipartisan senate and congressional support from DC.

Another visionary concept is SSC’s approach to utilizing battery technology. Battery technology is constantly changing, and to date manufacturers design their EVs around a specific battery technology. In this accelerated field, sooner than later, battery technology changes and EVs dependent on their technology along with their powertrains become dated. Engineered and designed to incorporate batteries as the technology evolves allows the AESP’s design to remain effective and cutting edge over a long period.

SSC’s electric powertrain does not require a new platform; it allows for simple implementation into current vehicles and applications. The logical and adaptable design allows mass manufacturers to cost effectively implement the AESP into multiple assembly lines and produce efficient electric vehicles immediately, without the long-term development of new models.

Overwhelming domestic and international response has recognized SSC Green’s AESP as a revolutionary innovation. Inquiries for AESP purchase range from major US manufactures of various vehicles (RVs to SUVs). Equally important, SSC already has contracts to export the AESP to Japanese auto manufacturers, Chinese auto manufacturers, national and international government subsidized mass transit, and Hong Kong manufacturing plants, helping to draw foreign money back into the US.

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Editor's note: Thinking about building green? Philip's two-part series (second part on Friday) explains the many variables you need to consider before signing a contract with a "green" home builder.

I recently received a message from a reader asking for help with finding a local green builder. Unfortunately, she is looking in a city two time zones away from me. And while I'm gathering resources and collecting information, the information I have is not that widespread. I don't have a vast database to help point people looking to do green building find the people who can help successfully execute those projects. But perhaps I can offer some guidelines about finding the right people to work with.

Her question is not entirely unique, either. I am in the middle of a two-day conference on green building (Midwest Green Building Conference) right now. One of the sessions I attended this afternoon had this very question come up during some of the discussion: "How do you find a green builder?" And, we found, there are a number of things that make this question difficult to answer. But there are some things you can do to find architects, builders, and specialized tradespeople who can help make a project turn out the way you want.

First of all, a "green builder" may not be the right person that you are looking for. This may sound heretical, at first. But just because someone is marketing themselves as being a green builder doen't necessarily mean that they are right for the job. We are seeing more and more products being touted as being green, although some of them have only a tenuous claim to being a truly green product. The same is true for the people. Sometimes, builders and other construction personnel call themselves "green" without much to back it up. There are lots of claims of green in every quarter of the construction industry, just like there are in all manner of consumer products. Don't just look for a claim of greenness in the name or the marketing; see what there is to back it up.

At the same time, someone who doesn't call themselves "green" may be the person you want for some (or maybe even all) of the job in question. There are a number of factors to consider, and in almost all cases, green construction or "green" methods are not radically different from "traditional" methods. Much of green building is just building better, rather than building differeently. If you are installing an HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) mechanical system, for example, you may not want to hire someone who is calling themselves green, but who is brand new in the field. Instead, you may want the person who has 20 years of experience with HVAC systems, and who knows all about how to properly install them. Building codes and other requirements must still be met, regardless of whether or not the project is green, and experienced personnel are often better able to achieve that without problems. They will also have a wider range of experience with the variety of products that have been produced in their field, and can help evaluate and understand the claims of new systems and products.

Many parts of geting a successful green home come from building things the right way. It's not about someone who has the latest and greatest technological toy as much as it is about understanding how houses perform and how to build them properly. A builder who can't install flashing around a window the right way isn't going to be able to make the building energy efficient.

There may be people who are waiting for a green-oriented client to come along wanting them to do a green project. I heard this a number of times at the Remodeling conference. There are builders who want to get further into green projects, but don't have clients asking for it. At this point, there's no reason to work with a builder who is going to resist the things you want to do. If one individual seems more interested in selling you on the way they've always done things being good enough, rather than being willing to hear what you are asking for, there are other competitors who will work with you to get what you want. Those are the people you want to find.

SSC GREEN AND JONES & SON CHASSIS TO PRODUCE HYBRID MOTORHOMES

Jones & Son Chassis, Inc., North America’s premier custom motorhome chassis designer has entered into an exclusive agreement with SSC Green Inc. of West Richland, Washington to integrate SSC Green’s All Electric Scalable Powertrain (AESP) to produce a hybrid motorhome chassis platform.

After a year of meeting with several companies and researching various entities in the EV drivetrain industry, “SSC Green’s AESP proved to be the only solution to meet the demanding specifications and capabilities of our motorhome chassis.”

Jones & Sons Chassis design specification requires a 500-mile range motorhome that must achieve 150 miles on battery pack, and then switch over to “hybrid mode” for an additional 350 miles. During hybrid mode the onboard generator will charge the battery pack. SSC Green’s controller will easily charge the battery pack overnight with 50amp/220 volt standard camp ground electrical service. Jones believes SSC Green is the solution for supplying cost effective, reliable hybrid powertrain technology for the motorhome market.

SSC Green is a subsidiary of Shelby SuperCars the producer of the Ultimate Aero, the “World’s Fastest Production Car”. With a track-record for excellence and innovation of ground breaking technology SSC Green’s AESP presents a real alternative to motorhomes powered exclusively by petroleum based fuel.

SSC GREEN, INC. SUBMITS GRANT TO EXPAND PRODUCTION LINE

SSC Green, Inc. Submits Grant to Expand Production Line, Produce Enough Electric Powertrains to Satisfy 26% of President Obama’s Goal to have One Million EV’s on the Road by 2015.

SSC Green today announced it has submitted plans for approximately $30 million to the Department of Energy’s Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative (FOA DE-FOA-0000026) to fund its current manufacturing facilities expansion plan. SSC Green and its partners would contribute half the funds with the Department of Energy contributing the remaining funds. The expansion would produce enough All-Electric Scalable Powertrains (AESP) to power 260,000 vehicles, 26% of President Obama’s goal to have one million EV’s on the road by 2015.

SSC Green’s AESP is the final product of a revolutionary concept; a cost effective, mass-producible powertrain compact and power dense enough to fit a wide variety of applications. Each electric motor is power dense, weighing only 175 lbs, less than 1 cubic foot in volume with output of up to 500 hp, and scalable in single motor (100 hp – 500 hp) and twin motor (501 hp – 1000 hp) configurations. The physical size of the motor and controller remain the same for every application allowing for cost effective mass-production and ease of implementation. Computer programming alone, instead of costly re-tooling, scales the power output of the electric motors.

“A unique mindset and approach to innovating groundbreaking technology is a fundamental necessity in order to be a viable entity in the supercar market. Being the producer of the world’s benchmark supercar it was logical to broaden SSC’s scope to developing cutting edge Green technologies,” said Jerod Shelby, President/CEO of SSC Green. “The philosophical and problem solving synergies between the Green and supercar markets are strikingly identical and have led us to the next breakthrough in automotive technology.”

Major outcomes of the expansion to mass produce SSC Green’s All-Electric Scalable Powertrain (AESP) include the creation of domestic jobs (70 immediate construction, 203 direct, and 12,000 indirect) and rapidly bringing to market a revolutionary technology to combat the downfalls of petroleum-based fuels (cost, foreign dependency, environmental impact). Additionally, SSC Green is sourcing raw materials and sub components for its exclusively US based AESP production from American suppliers, further stimulating all relevant industries. SSC Green’s approach allows mass production of the AESP to begin 18 months from the project start date. By 2015, SSC Green will produce enough AESPs to power 260,000 vehicles, 26% of President Obama’s goal to have one million EV’s on the road by 2015. Additionally, SSC Green has received an overwhelming amount of broad bipartisan senate and congressional support from DC.

Another visionary concept is SSC’s approach to utilizing battery technology. Battery technology is constantly changing, and to date manufacturers design their EVs around a specific battery technology. In this accelerated field, sooner than later, battery technology changes and EVs dependent on their technology along with their powertrains become dated. Engineered and designed to incorporate batteries as the technology evolves allows the AESP’s design to remain effective and cutting edge over a long period.

SSC’s electric powertrain does not require a new platform; it allows for simple implementation into current vehicles and applications. The logical and adaptable design allows mass manufacturers to cost effectively implement the AESP into multiple assembly lines and produce efficient electric vehicles immediately, without the long-term development of new models.

Overwhelming domestic and international response has recognized SSC Green’s AESP as a revolutionary innovation. Inquiries for AESP purchase range from major US manufactures of various vehicles (RVs to SUVs). Equally important, SSC already has contracts to export the AESP to Japanese auto manufacturers, Chinese auto manufacturers, national and international government subsidized mass transit, and Hong Kong manufacturing plants, helping to draw foreign money back into the US.

Read more of this story »