February 29, 2008 – Petaluma, Calif.; Rick Rosenbaum, vice president of sales at Delco Builders and Developers, announced today that it was awarded a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for its Green Building Practices at its Southgate master-planned community in Petaluma. The special congressional award was presented to Delco Builders by the Sonoma County Economic Development Board at its Business Environmental Alliance (BEA) awards ceremony in February. The BEA promotes the economic benefits of environmentally friendly best practices of local businesses operating in Sonoma County.
Delco Builders is the first residential developer in Petaluma to receive the “Build It Green” certificate by the City of Petaluma. This certificate for environmentally responsible design and construction practices. Build It Green is a professional non-profit membership organization whose mission is to promote healthy, energy and resource-efficient buildings in California.
Located in Petaluma in southern Sonoma County, Southgate is comprised of 216 single-family homes. These new homes range from 2,048 square feet to over 3,100 square feet and feature Craftsmen and Farmhouse-style exteriors. By undergoing a lengthy review process and adapting certain design and construction techniques in the building of these homes, Southgate by Delco Builders was officially certified green by the city.
Green building examples at Southgate include exceeding Title 24 energy efficient standards by 15 percent, recycling approximately 65 percent of construction waste during construction, landscaping that emphasizes native plants and minimizes lawn areas, and drip-watering systems with rain sensors that help determine when garden areas need water.
“At Delco Builders, we strive to build communities that match people’s lifestyles and today that includes environmental sensitivity as well as the comforts associated with new homes. With the success of Southgate and its new green certification, we continue on our path of building healthy and vibrant neighborhoods,” said Rick Rosenbaum.
Some of the new building’s sustainable features include:
Energy Efficiency: Southgate homes are designed and built using high energy efficiency standards and materials. These include using high-efficiency double-paned windows with low-e coatings, installing Energy Star® rated appliances, employing high-tech roof sheathing to keep attic spaces cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter and sealing our home exteriors and HVAC duct joints with caulk, foam and weather-stripping to reduce drafts and improve heating and cooling efficiency. In fact, the Southgate homes are so energy efficient, they have also earned the coveted “Energy Star®” rating from PG&E.
Water Efficiency: Southgate homes are designed and constructed using strict water conservation standards. These include planting native-species plants and shrubs that use minimal water, eliminating high-water use lawns in front yard areas and installing irrigation systems that emit low water flows and incorporate controllers that automatically adjust watering cycles based on current weather conditions.
Using “Sustainable” Building Materials: Delco is committed to using building products that are made from recycled materials as well as sustainable and renewable resources. Some examples of this include: roadway base made from recycled materials, engineered lumber and plywood made from recycled wood and new growth trees and siding manufactured from renewable and non-scarce resources.
Using “Healthier” Building Materials: Delco is using building materials and installing additional standard features that improve the indoor air quality for residents. Some of the ways we do this include: installing low emitting insulation materials and high quality furnace filters, tightly sealing our homes to reduce drafts and keep out pollutants, pollen and pests, installing carbon monoxide alarms and using interior paints that feature low VOC emissions.
Reducing Construction Site Waste: Delco is committed to reducing the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills by sending cardboard and paper packaging materials, scrap lumber, concrete and roofing waste into local recycling programs.
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