Sarah and I stopped by the Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Family Services building today to listen to the experts talk about the finer points of building an Energy Star Certified home. Approximately 20 builders showed up for the 1 1/2 day course! All of the attendees had different levels of knowledge but they will all leave with a greater knowledge of topics like:

- What is an Energy Star home?
- What is required to get a home labeled as Energy Star?
- What is included in the “Thermal Bypass Checklist”?
- What is a HERS Index and how it is computed?
- How are homes inspected and tested?
- How much more does Energy Star cost?
- Does Energy Star earn the $2000 builder tax credit?
- Will buyers pay more for Energy Star?

We were there for support and to talk about selling green. We also talked about, not just the health benefits, but the monetary benefits that customers/buyers will realize by buying an Energy Star/Green certified home.

Please visit these sites for more information on the presenters:
Danny Gough with Energy Solutions
and Andy Courts with Environmental Solutions Group