RVA Sustainable Homes Bus Tour

A bus full of green-conscious individuals took route on Friday, April 20 to learn what it takes to build an EarthCraft-certified home. EarthCraft is a family of green building programs which include; EarthCraft House, Renovation, Multifamily, Light Commercial and Communities. These programs provide a blueprint for healthy, comfortable homes that reduce utility bills while protecting the environment.

EarthCraft is one of the certification programs offered through Viridiant, a non-profit organization committed to supporting sustainable building processes through education, consultation and certification.

9480 Hoehns Rd., Glen Allen, VA | 3, 697 square feet

  • The home has a HERS index of 26, indicating that it’s 74% more efficient than a house built to code.
  • A 5.6 kW ground-mounted tracking solar array was built for this home and covers 100% of the electricity consumed in the household.

1504 Kansas Ave., Richmond, VA | 1,295 square feet

  • Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity is working with Viridiant to ensure that all the homes they build will be EarthCraft-certified to keep utilities low for their homeowners.
  • The Exterior walls have been insulated, new Energy Star windows fitted and a conditioned crawl space installed.

1221 E. Brookland Park Blvd.  

  • The Highland Park Public School building was converted to low-income apartments for seniors.
  • Maryland-based architect firm, Grimm and Parker worked with Viridiant to restore this century-old building into 77 one-bedroom apartments.

“We thoroughly enjoy our energy efficient home and the people’s reaction when we tell them our electric bill is only $7.50 a month (for net metering),” – Homeowners of 9840 Hoehns.

With new innovations in construction and green technology, there are many options for today’s homeowners if they want to live in an EarthCraft-certified home. For more information, visit viridiant.org.