If you are interested in learning more about green or high performance homes, one of the best ways is to tour an actual certified home.  Schreiner Custom Homes is offering the public a rare opportunity to tour the highest level, a LEED Certifed home, from April 23 – May 10th.

In order to help visitors to understand the highlights of the homes, there will be 28 signs throughout the tour pointing to specific high performance elements of the home.

Here is what Steve Schreiner of Schriener Custom Homes wrote about this project:

The High Performance Home is located in a community called Overlook on Mountain Island Lake. This area is one of the most environmentally sensitive areas of Charlotte. So it only seems fitting that this home with environmental conserving characteristics be located there.

The High Performance Home consists of a coordinated program incorporating numerous systems and products working together to produce a home that will be very energy efficient and therefore environmentally sensitive. The US Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes program has been implemented in this project, using an integrated design approach and incorporating sustainable procedures and products. This overall program is built upon a series of systems.

· Water Efficiency focuses on water use and water re-use through plumbing fixtures, rainwater reclamation, landscaping irrigation.

· Energy & Atmosphere addresses energy efficiency, tightness of the building envelope, insulation materials, house orientation, energy-demand (appliances, lighting, heating/cooling).

· Materials and Resources focuses on materials used in the home as to what they are comprised of, how energy consuming was it to produce them, how far away from the house site are they shipped, comprised of re-cycled materials.

· Indoor Environmental Quality addresses the critical living environment of the home. Since the house is now very tight it will also seal air from escaping as well and this could lead to air quality issues for the occupants; this is where low VOC paints, fabrics, and air exchangers become important.

· Education and Awareness is what the High Performance Home event is all about. We propose to provide an opportunity for the public to see for themselves what these different systems are all about and the products and procedures used to make them effective.

Our intent is for everyone to take with them some knowledge of how to implement a similar program into their own personal project, a new home, or renovation of an existing home.

More Information:

Charlotte, NC – High Performan Home

Map and Tour Information

Lake Norman is Going Green! (edit/delete)