Royal Professional Builders, FSEC Work Together on Florida's First LEED-Certified Home

Press Release
04/27/2007

A Port St. Lucie home became the first in the state to earn a certification through the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Homes pilot program after several inspections and performance tests were completed by the Florida Solar Energy Center.

The Port St. Lucie home, at 1972 SW McAllister Lane, is a Grand Emerald model built by Royal Professional Builders of West Palm Beach. The home includes hurricane-resistant wall panels that provide superior energy efficiency, Energy Star appliances and a drought-tolerant and low-maintenance landscape.

In 2005, the Green Building Council selected the Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida to administer the LEED for Homes pilot program in Florida and verify the compliance of each certified home in the state. The program is designed to provide national consistency in defining what constitutes a "green" home.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified homes are energy efficient and consume fewer resources than conventional homes use. The added features help to improve the safety and comfort of homes while also reducing the costs to operate them.

"It took a little extra planning, but we successfully integrated the green building principles addressed in the LEED for Homes pilot rating system into this production home with only a slight increase in cost," said Dan Walesky, director of Research and Development for Royal Professional Builders. "We feel that the added value that results from building green will be appreciated by both our employees and our customers."