Brentwood's 'green' building pays off in savings

Sometimes the subtlest things can help make houses energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

For instance, the more airtight homes are, the less power they use. So it makes sense to caulk around electrical boxes, along the base, "any place you see through," says Gerard Setti Jr., builder for Brentwood Homes.

The applications are not high-tech or revolutionary, says Bart Beasley, the company's area construction manager. Mostly, it involves "a little more time," he says. The builder adds extra two-by-fours for strength, puts up specially treated BluWood for mold and pest protection, and installs insulation behind tubs where it's hard to reach and almost impossible to add later on.

But the extra work pays off, as homeowners save 20-25 percent on power bills, says Beasley, who with Setti was on the job site one day recently in the Summertrees neighborhood on Johns Island.

Brentwood is not the only local builder focused on so-called "green" building techniques, but it is one of the most dedicated. In 2006, the company committed to constructing all its Charleston area homes to conform with the EarthCraft ecological, energy-saving program, says Ted Terry, general manager and vice president. "Energy savings can amount to $400 a year," he says.

This year, Brentwood expects to construct 250 homes in the Charleston area, and they all will meet the standards set by EarthCraft, an Atlanta-based program launched by that region's home builder association and a Georgia energy conservation company.

"We've come a pretty long way," Terry says.

In addition to Summertrees, Brentwood neighborhoods that meet the standards include Highwoods Plantation and Indigo Palms. So do homes that Brentwood is constructing in the Hunt Club west of the Ashley and Oak Terrace Preserve, a new community in North Charleston, says Karrie Britton, design planning consultant.

It's not just Charleston either. Brentwood builds in the Charlotte area, which does not have the EarthCraft program. But North Carolina does have a similar project called the Healthy Building Program, and Brentwood conforms to those criteria, Terry says.

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source: charleston.net