GREEN HOME COMPONENTS

A green home is healthier to live in and healthier for our planet. It is our mission to build green homes that bring together the features of an environmentally-friendly structure, while maintaining the function and design of a custom built, upscale home – our unique hybrid of green and luxury.

When building a green home, we consult with our exclusive green partner, Marc Bluestone of SmartHouse (formerly Home Green Home), for his expertise and the latest trends in green building. Marc, and his company SmartHouse, perform complete energy audits as recommended by the federal government’s Energy Star program and by the State of Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

“When building a custom home, home buyers have the best opportunity to add energy efficiencies to the home to not only increase the home’s comfort and improve air quality, but to build a well-planned home. For example, HVAC systems are not always a one-size fits all,” says Marc. “Jeff and I work with home buyers to incorporate a climate controlled system that will work best with the integrity of the building.”

Marc is dedicated to providing services that set the standard for energy savings and comfort improvement. With its partnership with Marc, R.E.A. Homes is a leader in green building in the St. Louis region.

“Builders are held to certain standards when constructing an energy efficient home,” says Marc. “R.E.A. adhering to these standards set by a non-biased third party, ensures home buyers of their credibility and dedication.”

Other benefits of living in a green home include:One of the key components to a high performance luxury home is a high quality heating and cooling system properly designed and installed by a knowledgeable HVAC contractor. A ground source heat pump system (a.k.a. geo-thermal system) is one example of a system that can deliver tremendous energy savings and comfort.

  • Increased energy efficiency
  • Enhanced air quality
  • Reduced operating costs
  • Improved durability
  • Less maintenance
  • Potential tax credits

The team at R.E.A. Homes hopes that our green building efforts will encourage other builders across the St. Louis region to adopt similar green building practices. Building a green home and living the green life is a commitment to the future of our families and children, our community and our planet.

For additional information on green building, click here.

Green Verification Process

Increasingly, more clients have begun to request their homes be built to third party green programs. At R.E.A. Homes we have a thorough knowledge of the three major national green building programs which include NAHB Green Building (National Association of Home Builders), ENERGY STAR (federal government program) and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

The benefits of building a home to one of these standards include third party inspection and verification of the homes actual energy and indoor air performance. Through study, testing, and on-the-job LEED project experience building “green” homes, Jeff Bogard and R.E.A. Homes have demonstrated a thorough knowledge of green building. Jeff takes this experience and incorporates it into every R.E.A. Homes project resulting in high performance homes that are more energy efficient, comfortable and provide better indoor air quality.

This high performance approach to home building is the cornerstone of true luxury for all R.E.A. Homes clients. We have hands-on project experience with all three of these programs.

Energy Star Certification

energy star cert

R.E.A. Homes is proud to offer new homes that have earned the ENERGY STAR® label. The ENERGY STAR label means that your new home has been designed and built to standards well above other homes in the market today. It means better quality, better comfort, and better durability. It also means that your new home is a better value for today, and a better investment for tomorrow. The ENERGY STAR label gives you the peace of mind that your home has undergone a better process for inspections, testing, and verification to ensure that it meets strict requirements set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Learn more about ENERGY STAR certified new homes at http://www.energystar.gov/newhomes.

Indoor airPLUS Program

As part of the Indoor airPLUS mission to build healthy and comfortable homes, builders can employ a variety of construction practices and technologies to decrease the risk of poor indoor air quality in their new homes. Construction specifications include moisture and mold control, radon resistant construction, pest barriers, effective heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems, safe combustion and healthier building materials.