Seville Consulting’s Project Becomes First from Georgia to Earn Award from EVHA

Seville Consulting, an Atlanta area-based company, is a silver winner of the 2009 EnergyValue Housing Award (EVHA), which was presented by the NAHB Research Center at the International Builders Show in Vegas. The EVHA is the nation’s preeminent energy efficiency award honoring builders who voluntarily incorporate energy efficiency into all aspects of new home construction. EVHA winners were selected from builders’ projects in three climate regions (cold, moderate, hot) and five categories (affordable, custom/demonstration, factory-built, multifamily, production). Seville Consulting received a silver award in the moderate climate, custom home category.

Announcing the award, Tom Kenney, vice president of engineering and research for the NAHB Research Center, said, “Seville Consulting is dedicated not only to building energy-efficient homes but also to educating the residential construction industry about energy efficiency and green building.” Their award-winning home was a 2007 Southern Building Show showcase home, the first EVHA awarded to a project from Georgia, which was constructed in place of a 1930s-era house in a well-established neighborhood. The in-town Atlanta location of the home lowered energy use by reducing transportation needs. Additionally, the construction team carefully preserved a majority of the broad tree canopy around the house to provide shading during warmer months. Seville Consulting also helped homebuyers understand some of the show home’s energy-efficiency features by installing a home energy monitoring device — a tool they see as key to maintaining energy-efficient home performance. Now in its 14th year, the EVHA is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America program, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in addition to the NAHB Research Center. The EVHA challenges builders to elevate standards for energy-efficient construction, provides educational opportunities for home builders, and fosters the adoption of energy efficiency principles. The panel of judges for the 2009 EnergyValue Housing Award included: Michael DeWein, technical director, Building Codes Assistance Project of the Alliance to Save Energy; Joe Gregory, Bob Ward Companies; David Hales, building systems specialist for the Washington State University Extension Energy Program; Lee Magnusson, research engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL); Richard Morgan, green building manager for Austin Energy; and Barb Yankie, president of Homes +, Inc.

Carl Seville, who has both his home and his Seville Consulting office in Decatur, is a green builder, educator and consultant on sustainability in America’s home building industry. Seville Consulting also provides building certification services such as LEED, EarthCraft House, Energy Star, and the National Green Building Program. More information about Seville Consulting and its services is available on the internet at www.sevilleconsulting.com. Considered one of the nation’s leading experts on green building and remodeling, Seville was recipient of the 2005 and 2007 Green Remodeling Advocate of the Year and the 2004 and 2006 National Green Building Awards for Residential Remodeling from the National Association of Home Builders. He was recently named Residential Green Building Advocate for the Atlanta chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. In this role, Seville is working closely with local homebuilders’ associations and other green homes organizations, as well as within his own USGBC chapter, to explain and promote residential green building. Over the years, Seville has earned six Excellence in Design Awards from Environmental Design and Construction Magazine, a 2008 Excellence Award from Residential Design & Build magazine, the Southface Energy Institute Award of Excellence for Environmental Stewardship, and the 2006 EarthCraft House Leadership Award. He has been featured in and writes for numerous publications, including Georgia Trend magazine, the Atlanta Business Chronicle, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Today’s Custom Home, Green Builder, HGTVPRO.com, Professional Remodeler, Qualified Remodeler, Remodeling Magazine, Atlanta Home Improvement Magazine, Smart Homeowner, and Environmental Design and Construction Magazine. His blog, “The Green Building Curmudgeon”, can be found at www.greenbuildingcurmudgeon.com.