Habitat for Humanity Builds FIRST LEED GOLD CERTIFIED Homes in Broward County

June 27, 2011 - PRLog -- HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BUILDS FIRST LEED GOLD CERTIFIED HOMES IN BROWARD COUNTY

Fort Lauderdale, FL (June 27, 2011) – Habitat for Humanity of Broward is the first Broward County builder awarded the prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification, the second highest level, for three homes constructed in Fort Lauderdale.  JM Family Enterprise associates worked alongside the homeowners and their families to build homes that met the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) standards for high performance “green” buildings in design, construction and operations.

Florida Power & Light also certified each home with a Building Energy Rating System (BERS) classification through its BuildSmart® Program and ENERGY STAR® Program which ensure that new builds meet specific energy-efficient performance guidelines.

Based on USGBC requirements, LEED rating systems offer four certification levels for new construction – certified, silver, gold and the highest level, platinum. Additionally, LEED green certification promotes sustainable building and development practice by providing building owners and operators and industry professionals with the measures for identifying and implementing practical and measurable performance standards as well as recognizes them for environmentally superior accomplishments.

“Socially responsible corporations, such as JM Family, recognize that by incorporating green design and construction practices into our communities, we are able to promote environmental awareness as well as meet the needs of the families we support,” said Susan DeYoung, Executive Director of Habitat Broward. “With the help of JM Family’s associates, we built LEED gold certified homes that will significantly reduce our carbon footprint while creating a cost-effective and safe environment for the families who will live in them.”

A Florida Power & Light BuildSmart® representative provided Energy Efficiency Calculations to assist in achieving the energy cost savings to meet the LEED requirements. FPL also certified the energy efficiency of the home based on the State of Florida’s stringent Energy Code.

For nearly 30 years, Habitat Broward has been committed to meeting the needs of low-income families in the community with affordable housing, while considering the environment. As gold-level LEED certificated builders, Habitat Broward joins a select group of industry leaders for successful performance in five key areas: sustainable site development, water conservation, energy efficiency, material selection and indoor environmental quality.

JM Family associates are about serving the people in our community and supporting green initiatives
Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, JM Family sponsored its first Habitat Broward home in 2002 as part of the Harmony Village community in Davie. Since then the company has sponsored and provided thousands of volunteer hours to build 18 homes throughout Broward, including communities in Deerfield Beach, Collier City and Oakland Park.

For more information about Habitat Broward and JM Family’s green building efforts, contact Maureen Hodgson, Development Director, at (954) 396-3030 ext. 211 or Maureen@habitatbroward.org

About Habitat Broward
Celebrating almost 30 years of building houses, building hope in Broward County, Habitat for Humanity of Broward is a non-profit, non-denominational Christian housing ministry that has successfully built more than 300 homes. Dedicated to eradicating substandard housing by building simple, decent, affordable homes in partnership with low and very-low income families in need, Habitat for Humanity is a catalyst for individual and community transformation. Visit our website: www.habitatbroward.org.