Good Cents® Environmental Program

The Southern Company, a consortium of Southeast U.S. utility companies recently premiered the Good Cents® Environmental Program. This program is a hybrid of the original Good Cents® Home Program.

The original program was developed in an effort to help Americans reduce the amount of energy required to run their homes. The new program builds upon these same principals and incorporates environmental building options as well. There is no doubt that we, as a nation, should strive to lessen the impact upon our planet.

We need to preserve as many resources as possible for future unborn generations. The Good Cents® Environmental Program will definitely go a long way in helping us achieve this goal.

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The Good Cents® Environmental Program uses an energy and environmental rating system to grade your new home. The program analyzes the planning of your community, the design of your new home, and the construction practices implemented by your builder.

These factors are then graded as to their impact on the internal, external, and global environments. Once graded, you receive an Ecoscore. In order for your new house to become certified, you must score a minimum of 700 out of 1300 points.

Homeowners who are interested in this program should contact their local utility company to see if they are participating in the program. To date, over 300 U. S. utility companies are participating in the program. In the event that your utility is not currently participating, you, or preferably your builder, can sign up for the program by contacting:

Mr. Rucker indicated to me that he usually can process requests for information within 2 weeks time.

Additional Good Cents® Environmental Program Questions

The Good Cents® Environmental Program looks at six primary categories during the certification process. These categories are as follows: water efficiency, ecological living, construction practices, energy efficiency, building materials, and building design.

There are questions in each category which must be answered. The questions which follow are a sampling of those found in the actual certification program:

• Are more than 50% of the plants used in your landscaping low-water use?
• Does your home capture and reuse 'gray' water from showers, baths, and bathroom sinks?
• Does your home capture, store, and reuse rainwater?
• Does your home have a recharging station for electric vehicles?
• Are recycling bins built into your home?
• Does your community provide walkways or paths throughout the neighborhood that would encourage bicycling or walking?
• Does your builder sort and recycle over 30% of your leftover materials?
• Do you use recycled paving materials such as recycled rubber or stone?
• Is more than 50% of the original non-pad area of your lot retained in its original state?
• Was your HVAC system sized using the Manual J approved load calculation procedure?
• Do you have ceiling insulation rated R-30 or higher?
• Did you use water based paints and sealers?
• Did you use interior doors made of composite wood products?
• Did you use alternatives to dimensional lumber (such as I-joists or composite wood products) as a part of your rough lumber framing materials?
• Does your new home feature a whole-house ventilating system?
• Do you plan to plant deciduous trees on the western and southwestern side of your home?

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local companies who can help make your home more energy efficient.

Partial Listing Of Some Environmentally Friendly Products

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