In metro Atlanta, developers and builders are promoting green living through EarthCraft House. EarthCraft House is a green building program that promotes sustainable living spaces through utilizing environmentally friendly building practices. There are more than 4,000 EarthCraft House single family homes and more than 1,500 EarthCraft Multifamily dwelling units in Atlanta. There are also six EarthCraft Communities in the area.



EarthCraft homes promote construction practices that minimize environmental impact and maximize your home's health. The EarthCraft House approach emphasizes the understanding of how the different components of a house work together to create a healthy home for you, your family and the environment. The result is a healthier home that reduces utility costs, promotes green practices and costs only a bit more than building a traditional home using standard construction practices.

By meeting specified EarthCraft House criteria, any home of any size can achieve EarthCraft House certification. As stated by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and listed on the official EarthCraft House web site, to achieve certification, a home must meet ENERGY STAR certification criteria which includes passing diagnostic tests for air filtration and duct leakage.

EarthCraft homes must also achieve a minimum of 150 points from a specified score sheet which rates the home on energy efficiency, durability, indoor air quality, resource efficiency, waste management and water conservation. However, EarthCraft House guidelines are intentionally flexible to allow builders and developers to use a variety of approaches to create environmentally sound homes.

Since EarthCraft homes are designed and built to promote healthy living, an EarthCraft home is one of the most resource-efficient, durable and high performance homes you can buy. Although the initial construction or renovation process to create an EarthCraft home is a bit more costly upfront, the long term savings and health benefits make an EarthCraft home worth the investment.

In the long run, home owners benefit from savings in utility costs as well as home repairs; conservation of resources and energy; improved air and water quality; and an enhanced, durable and quieter home.

While more and more new homes in the Atlanta area are being built to EarthCraft House standards, existing homes may also be renovated to satisfy EarthCraft House criteria and receive certification.