Arlington, Va. Home Named First Residential Property in Commonwealth to Achieve LEED Platinum Certification from U.S. Green Building Council

Arlington, VA, June 11, 2009 --(PR.com)-- An Arlington, Va. home has become the first residential property in the Commonwealth to receive the nation's highest honor for green homebuilding and energy efficiency with a LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC.)

The property is located at 5803 16th Street North in the Westover neighborhood of North Arlington and was built by Metro Green, a woman-owned, single family residential development firm also based in Arlington. Located less than five miles from downtown, Washington, D.C., the Metro Green home is situated one block from public transportation, shops and other conveniences. Design diagrams and high-resolutions photos of the four-bedroom plus loft home are available online at www.metrogreenhome.com.

The Virginia Sustainable Business Network has announced it will award Metro Green its 2009 Green Innovation Award for Best Single Family Residential Project for the property.

LEED for Homes is a national third-party certification system for energy efficient, healthy, green homes. LEED-certified homes complete a technically rigorous process that includes a home energy rating system (HERS) and on-site inspections to verify that the home is built to be energy and water efficient, environmentally sound, and a healthier place to live. LEED-certified homes fall in one of four categories: Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. There are less than 50 Platinum rated homes in the United States.

Designed by award winning architects Phil Kaplan and Jesse Thompson of Kaplan Thompson Architects of Portland, Maine, the home is focused heavily on reducing energy use. The home emphasizes modern eco- friendly design and includes such “green features” as:

Structural insulated panel construction (SIPs), geothermal HVAC, grid-tied solar, low-e argon windows and high efficiency appliances. Because of these and other energy saving measures, the 3825 sq ft house’s projected yearly heating and cooling costs are a startling $180 and $125 dollars respectively. The home’s overall projected energy use is less than half of an average home of comparable size.

In recognition of the severe and ongoing concern over the health of the Chesapeake Bay, the project set a goal of net zero site runoff for a one inch rain event. The house features a green roof, more than 500 gallons of rainwater cisterns, and pervious surfaces including a rainwater infiltration trench underneath the driveway.

Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) finishes, paints and local and natural materials were used throughout the house along with an energy recovery ventilation system (ERV) that circulates fresh air throughout the home with high grade filtration to remove allergens. The house has been Indoor Air Quality Certified by Energy Star for exceptional air quality.

ENERGY STAR has awarded the property a 5+ star rating. The home has achieved a 51 Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score on a scale of 100 from ENERGY STAR; the lower the score the more energy efficient the building. Homes must achieve a minimum score of 86 – on a 100 point scale -- to be deemed ENERGY STAR qualified. ENERGY STAR is the joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that help homeowners and commercial builders save money through environmentally-friendly construction practices.

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Note to Editors: High-resolution photos of the property and tours for members of the media are available by contacting Patricia Shields of Metro Green at 571-334-7215 or pattyshields@gmail.com.

About Metro Green
Metro Green is a woman owned, boutique residential development firm that focuses solely on green residential projects. Metro Green projects are developed/built for sale exclusively by Metro Green. Metro Green, through its principal, Patty Shields, also provides green residential construction consulting services to homeowners interested in pursuing new construction or renovation projects.

For more information visit www.metrogreenhome.com or email pattyshields@metrogreenhome.com