Imery Group Selected to Build First-Ever Proud Green Home

Feb. 5, 2013 - PRLog -- Athens, GA (Feb. 4, 2013) – Georgia-based green building experts, the Imery Group (www.imerygroup.com), announced they are building the nation’s first-ever Proud Green Home—a project that aims to educate and inspire homebuilders and homeowners nationwide about the benefits of building green.

The design and construction choices made by the Imery Group will be the focus of an online Research Center on www.ProudGreenHome.com, a widely-read publication and knowledge resource for the residential building industry.

The next-generation home, scheduled for completion in May, will be located in metro Atlanta’s sustainable Serenbe community, the site of HGTV’s 2012 green home giveaway. But unlike other showcase green homes, the Proud Green Home project is chronicling from start to finish the building science behind affordable, green construction.

“A true green home is much more than the sum of its parts,” explains Imery Group CEO Luis Imery. “Site selection, building materials and construction techniques are all important, but it’s the integration of these elements into a functional system that allows a green home to far surpass the energy efficiency and health benefits of a standard home.”

The design specified by Imery Group and architectural firm LG Squared is expected to result in an energy rating that is 55 percent better than a similar-sized home built to Georgia’s minimum energy code requirements. With the addition of rooftop photovoltaic solar panels, the Proud Green Home will achieve net-zero, or near net-zero, efficiency—meaning that over the course of a year, it will produce roughly as much energy as it consumes.

The Proud Green Home also is projected to meet the highest levels for EarthCraft House, ENERGY STAR, Indoor Air Plus, and WaterSense green building certifications. Other notable features will include continuous slab-edge insulation, a ventilation energy recovery system, solar thermal hot water, a mini-split HVAC system, and a 29-foot foyer to promote passive air circulation. Every aspect of the home’s energy use will be monitored and reported for one year after the homeowners move in to show the effectiveness of the associated green building techniques.

“The first Proud Green Home project aims to make the science behind green building more accessible to the average homebuyer,” said Bob Fincher, Publisher and CEO of ProudGreenHome.com. “We're thrilled to have the Imery Group leading the design and construction. Luis is a longtime contributing writer on our site and a true expert in the green building field.”  

Luis Imery will be contributing regular blog and video posts to the Research Center throughout the construction and commissioning process. In addition, Imery Group will host a pre-drywall open house in the coming weeks to showcase the home’s design and construction techniques. In the meantime, other builders, designers and homebuyers can take a guided video tour of the home produced with the latest in 3D-rendering technology by VIMtrek.

About the Proud Green Home Project

The Proud Green Home Project is a partnership between ProudGreenHome.com, Imery Group, Serenbe, LG Squared, VIMtrek, and select green building product manufacturers.

About Imery Group

The Imery Group is a full-service construction, green rating and real estate group that brings sustainability to every facet of the real estate cycle. In 2010, Imery Group won the Earthcraft House Platinum Project of the Year award for a beautiful, energy-efficient home in Athens, GA, followed by the coveted 2011 Green Project of the year award from the National Association of Home Builders. Owner Luis Imery is a Civil Engineer, with an MBA in Real Estate and extensive knowledge in building science. He is a technical advisor for the EarthCraft program and a LEED for Home green-rater-in-training, in addition to possessing numerous other building-science designations. The Imery Group is currently involved with the certification of more than 200 homes in the Southeast. For more info, visit www.proudgreenhome.imerygroup.com.

About Serenbe

Serenbe is a 1,000-acre community located just 30 minutes from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, with a focus on balanced growth, sustainability, green building, organic farming, and smart environmental practices. Serenbe has private residential homes, commercial space, art galleries, original shops, stables, the 20-room Inn at Serenbe with conference facilities, and Serenbe Farms with CSA program and Saturday markets. The community is home to three restaurants, all pioneers in the farm-to-table movement:  Blue Eyed Daisy Bakeshop (the nation’s smallest Silver LEED certified building), The Farmhouse (proprietress Marie Nygren), and The Hil (chef/owner Hilary White), with a fourth restaurant coming this year.