Mark Johnson Custom Homes Blog

When St. James Plantation, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes built their LEED Platinum home in Wilmington, NC, they learned the LEED for Homes system first-hand. Developed and run by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED for Homes is a Green home rating system that ensures homes are designed and built to be energy and resource efficient as well as healthy for its occupants. (LEED Platinum is the highest attainable certification for a home under the LEED for Homes program.)

LEED for Homes is a detail oriented program and we would like to share this informative “Frequently Asked Questions” brochure from the U.S. Green Building Council. It answers everything from “What is a Green home?”, “How will the quality of LEED Homes be assured?” and “How can my organization be a LEED for Homes Provider?”

Saturday, October 10th 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Pender County, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes encourages you to attend this year’s Solar and Green Building Tour! The annual Tour will feature the following sites, offering diverse examples of Green technology:  

City of Wilmington Street Sweeper Facility – 1110 S. 17th Street: Solar power, radiant floor heating, site and building re-use and stormwater run-off improvements are showcased in a commercial setting.
This is the official Tour kick-off site. Bring your PayPal receipts here to pick up tickets purchased online. Tickets will be available for sale here the day of the Tour.

3404 Talon Court: A LEED Platinum gut rehab led by architect Jay DeChesere. This home illustrates a wealth of Green strategies both inside and outside, including a Green roof, a 3FW photovoltaic array, solar hot water, geothermal, rainwater harvesting and an Audubon wildlife habitat.

2002 Kenilworth Lane: Mark Johnson Custom Homes’ LEED Platinum Home in Landfall. New residential construction in Landfall is only the second residence in North Carolina to receive the highest rating by the U.S. Green Building Council. To achieve Platinum certification, the 2,770 square foot, 4 bedroom/4 bath home scored points for health, sustainability, energy and water efficiencies. Note: This site can only be visited by taking the trolley.   

10 South 5th Avenue: This renovation of a grand historic home exemplifies the ultimate in recycling and how, contrary to popular belief, many elements of Green are both simple and traditional. The home’s “new” kitchen also features custom cabinetry and architectural accents crafted from reclaimed wood.

1919 Wrightsville Avenue: A single family dwelling that has been retrofitted with Green technologies by the owner slowly over time. Green technologies include a tankless water heater (natural gas), ductless HVAC system, sealed crawlspace and attic, material repurposing, recycled material, permeable pavers and great landscaping. 

2214 Allens Lane: A single family dwelling with solar hot water heater and where 10 PV cells are in the process of being installed on the roof. The home also features an electricity demand limit meter through Progress Energy. This device limits the home’s appliance use during the peak electricity time period. The home is Energy Star certified and also features separate zones for heating and cooling in each room and all halogen dimmer lights and CFL non-dimmers.

Take a self-guided tour or ride the Trolley with the official tour guide for a narrated excursion!

Early Bird tickets are $15 per person for CFGBA members and $20 for non-members. Due to limited space on the Trolley, children’s tickets for the guided tour will be full price. There is no charge for children on the self-guided tour. Tickets will be available the day of the Tour for $25 at the City of Wilmington Street Sweeper Facility. Proceeds benefit the Cape Fear Green Building Alliance.

 For more information, visit their website!

Mark Johnson Custom Homes Invites You to Attend an Open House for Our LEED Platinum Home in Landfall!

We would like to invite our readers to tour the Wilmington, NC LEED Platinum home on August 29th, 2009 from 10am-3pm.
 
The home is located in the Birkdale Community at 2002 Kenilworth Lane in Landfall.   

Please RSVP to Kevin@MarkJohnsonCustomHomes.com or call 910-208-9151,
as your name must be added to the guest list at the gate for entry if you are not a resident of Landfall. 
 
We look forward to seeing you there! 

Landfall Builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes has built one of the most energy efficient homes in Wilmington, NC. But energy efficiency alone will not optimize your utility savings. It takes changes in your lifestyle to save the most on your home’s utilities. A new device, The Energy Detective, will help drive your behavior to do simple things such as turning off lights when not in use and doing your laundry in the evening. TED, an intuitive, real-time, accurate electricity monitor screens your energy usage and presents the information to you in a simple, easy-to-understand format. We are currently using The Energy Detective at our LEED registered Green home in Landfall. Invest in one for your home to save money and time!

TED (The Energy Detective) is a simple, yet extremely accurate, home energy monitor that allows you to see electricity usage in real-time. You no longer have to wait for the ‘electricity bill surprise’! TED will accurately tell you what your bill is going to be long before the electric bill arrives. Meanwhile, you will learn more about conserving energy, saving money, and helping save the environment.

With its patented solution to home energy management, TED quantifies electricity and displays the results on its easy-to-read LCD screen. Unlike some complicated electricity conservation systems, TED is a simple, intuitive and affordable way to monitor and manage your entire home’s energy consumption. Think of it as your home’s speedometer.

With its two-second reaction time, TED provides immediate feedback on energy usage. For you, that means no surprises. You can see what you’re spending on electricity each second, as well as what you’ve spent so far today or so far this month.

For a more comprehensive look at your electricity usage, and to really ‘see’ where you may be wasting electricity (AND MONEY) check out “TED Footprints“… dynamic software that allows you to log your electricity usage on your PC for graphing, charting, seeing trends, load-profiling and much more! And with the help of TED, you’re not only able to better manage your own dollars, you are also helping your neighbors, your community, and the environment through energy conservation.

For more information, visit their site!

The Energy Detective was installed by Electronics 2 You of Wilmington, NC, one of Coastal Carolina’s finest home audio establishments.