The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis is a winner of their 2015 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award.
Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis was cited as a champion of Indoor airPLUS in the St. Louis market with100% of its homes in 2014 Indoor airPLUS qualified. Habitat Saint Louis is recognized for its efforts to promote safer, healthier and more comfortable indoor environments.
The EPA created Indoor airPLUS to help builders meet the growing consumer preference for homes with improved indoor air quality. Indoor airPLUS builds on the foundation of EPA’s ENERGY STAR requirements for new homes and provides additional construction specifications to provide comprehensive indoor air quality protections in new homes.
Kyle Hunsburger, Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis’ Director of Construction said, “we are pleased that our efforts in building energy efficient houses have been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is an honor to receive the 2015 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award. We have been building to LEED standards for many years and our goal is always to provide the healthiest and most energy efficient houses for our homebuyers.”
Construction specifications include the careful selection and installation of moisture control systems; heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems; combustion-venting systems; radon-resistant construction; and low-emitting building materials.
A builder must first design a home to earn the ENERGY STAR label — the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency. The result is a home that is significantly more energy efficient than a home built to minimum code, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To earn the Indoor airPLUS label, the builder then adds additional home design and construction features to help protect qualified homes from moisture and mold, pests, combustion gases, and other airborne pollutants. Before the home officially earns the Indoor airPLUS label, it is inspected by an independent third-party to ensure compliance with EPA’s rigorous guidelines and specifications.
