Frequently Asked Questions

What is a HealthyBuilt Home?

A HealthyBuilt Home is a comfortable, healthy and affordable house that reduces energy and water usage and helps protect the environment. Building materials and processes are selected to reduce pollution and the waste of natural resources both during the manufacturing and construction phases and throughout the life of the home. Careful attention is given to energy efficiency and indoor air quality. Because the quality, amenities, and energy savings are evident, these homes have a higher value and are easier to sell.

What is the HealthyBuilt Homes Program?

Green builder programs across the country provide technical and marketing assistance to builders who wish to reduce the energy use and environmental impact of the homes they construct. These programs typically establish guidelines, verify compliance and publicize the benefits of owning a high performance or "green" home. Participating builders can display recognizable logos that let potential buyers know they are dealing with a builder who is committed to offering a superior product.The  NC HealthyBuilt Homes program was launched in North Carolina with a focus on providing support for small to medium size home builders that may not have the resources to compete in the rapidly emerging field of green building. The program is designed with two tiers:

• A statewide umbrella organization that administers the overall program,sets statewide guidelines, provides technical support,and coordinates training, marketing and certification;
• Local partnerships with organizations such as homebuilder associations that administer and promote the program in their community, tailoring it to local conditions and regulation requirements;
• NC HealthyBuilt Homes is a statewide collaboration between the NC SolarCenter, the State Energy Office, NC Department of Administration and local communities. In addition, HealthyBuilt Homes recognizes and/or gives credit for the following programs:
  • Energy Star
  • Environments for Living
  • System Vision

Must Every house have a final site consultation?

No. We have a "3 homes in a row" rule. Basically, once 3 homes in a row pass on the first inspection, a builder will be required to have final inspections on 25% of the homes that are built, on a random basis. The "3 homes in a row" rule renews annually as your membership is renewed.

Can a homeowner be the general contractor for an NC HealthyBuilt Home?

No. Only NC licensed General Contractors and developers working with NC licensed general contractors can build NC HealthyBuilt Homes and receive certificates that the home has met the criteria. A homeowner who is a NC licensed General Contractor may act as such on their own home.

The program was created to support and educate the professional builidng community as the transformation to more energy, water and resource efficient healthy housing occurs.

We encourage homeowners who are building their own home to use the 'HBH Builders' list to find an eligible General Contractor or to request that their builder become an HBH Builder. If unable to hire a General Contractor, a homeowner should feel free to use the HBH Checklist & Reference Manual posted at www.healthybuilthomes.org . They can then do their best to implement the appropriate strategies and techniques indicated on the HBH checklist but should refrain from calling their home a HealthyBuilt Home (which would imply a 3rd party review of construction).

Can I register a home with the program if it is already under construction?

Once construction has begun, it may be more difficult to meet the NC HealthyBuilt Homes requirements. Although we strongly recommend you register the home you intend to build before construction begins so that we can assist you during the design phase of the project, we will consult with you on a project in process to determine if it will meet HealthyBuilt Homes criteria.

Do site consultations require payment?

Yes. The final walkthrough inspection fee for a home must be paid before final site consultation. Additional site consultations are all charged at the rate of $70/hour (including travel time) with a minimum charge of 3 hours.

Is a SEALED crawlspace considered conditioned space?

In terms of heating and cooling load, we do not consider a sealed crawlspace conditioned space and you should not include the square footage of the crawl in your total conditioned floor area.

In terms of recieving points on the HBH checklist for locating ducts in a conditioned space, a SEALED crawlspace could qualify as a “conditioned space”, providing that the crawlspace is sealed in accordance with Advanced Energy’s recommendations on www.crawlspaces.org, specifically Design Sample 2 w/ supply air and wall insulation.

A “conditioned space”, in terms of the HVAC ductwork, is a space supplied with conditioned air that is also part of the thermal envelope. For crawlspaces, this means the crawlspace walls must be insulated for the crawlspace to qualify, a crawlspace where the subfloor is insulated but the crawl walls are not would not qualify.