BUILDER's premier lists of the top 200 builders in the country, the BUILDER 100 and the Next 100, are set to be released next week. In light of that, we are counting down each day with some facts and figures gleaned from the data, starting today.
With the threat of climate change, excessive droughts, and volatile fuel prices, green building has never been as important as it is today. Home builders are reacting to consumers’ desire to go green by seeking out green certifications that include third-party verification of their homes’ sustainable features.
Since 2012, there has been a substantial increase in the overall number of BUILDER 100 respondents that report they meet green standards, from 110 builders in 2012 to 149 in 2014. Each of the green building programs grew in popularity, but the number of builders using regional programs nearly doubled in two years. LEED for Homes and Energy Star both saw slight increases.
LEED certification was the least-cited program of the three surveyed options, with only six of the top 10 green builders constructing at least some of their homes to LEED standards.
Topping the list of Top 10 Green Builders was Fulton Homes Corp., which built all of its 376 homes to LEED, Energy Star, and a regional green building program–the only builder to do so. Following closely was The Warmington Group, building 100% to regional, 100% to Energy Star, and 50% to LEED. The last six builders on the list were all tied with 100% regional and 100% Energy Star homes, and were ranked by number of closings to determine their place in the top 10.
The largest builder to make the top 10 was Century Communities with 2,059 closings, which were all built to Energy Star and a regional program.
If this data is telling, green building won’t be slowing down any time soon.
