Who would’ve thought that Long Island’s playground of the elite, Southampton, would be the first town in the country to develop groundbreaking building codes for energy efficiency? In July, Southampton adopted a progressive four-tier building code to make homes more energy efficient. The catch? The larger the home, the more energy efficient it has to be.
The amendments to the town building code are unique across the country, as each tier gets progressively more strict, and is also based on the size of the home. The guidelines for energy efficiency are based on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS). The desired HERS ratings for homes in Southampton are between 84-95 out of a possible 100. Builders and architects say that ratings in the 80s are feasible but anything beyond that is asking too much.
Southampton knows this change won’t be easy. That’s why they are implementing a gradual phase-in for the new codes. For instance, they have pushed back the requirement for swimming pools to be solar heated until January 1.
John Barrows, a local builder and a green building instructor for the National Association of Home Builders, said factors other than basic energy consumption levels, such as site design, construction materials, water usage and indoor air quality, all have to be considered for a house to fully “be green”.
If you are interested in learning more about greening your home or where to buy green building supplies, check out Green Depot, located in Brooklyn.
To read the New York Times article, Debating How Green to Go.
