Lutron Electronics has teamed up with Cherokee Investment Partners to build the National Homebuilder Mainstream GreenHome in Raleigh, NC; GreenHome is a mainstream green home designed to demonstrate how sustainable living can be achieved in a traditional home. The demonstration home provides the average homebuilder with a model for making tomorrow’s typical American home a green home. Since this is the first GreenHome in an actual suburban setting, visitors can get an idea of what that environment might be like.

 “We’re excited to partner with Cherokee Investment Partners in the GreenHome project and share with builders and homeowners alike the ease of adding sustainable solutions to a home,” said Stacey Kim, market development manager for Lutron. “Lighting control strategies, such as the use of dimmers and of controllable shades, are great ways to reduce energy and add elegance to a home.”

The GreenHome will use RadioRA lighting controls and local dimmers to control electric light and Sivoia QED shades to control daylight. The RadioRA Chronos Package uses an astronomical timeclock to automate lighting changes based on time of day relative to sunrise and sunset. For example, driveway lights can be programmed to turn on at sunset, and turn off at 11 p.m. to reduce electricity used. Using a simple dimmer on an incandescent light bulb can reduce energy up to 10 percent and make the light bulb last twice as long. The automated shades help to reduce glare and protect interiors, as well as decrease solar heat gain during the warm months of summer. Decreasing solar heat lowers energy costs associated with HVAC systems that would otherwise run more frequently.

“The GreenHome represents a new milestone in mainstream green construction,” according to global sustainability guru, author and architect William McDonough, chairman of the architecture and community design firm, William McDonough + Partners. “This demonstration home provides the average homebuilder with a model for making a typical American home green.”

Conventional in almost every aspect, the GreenHome will showcase a mix of products, systems and techniques that could make sense for individual construction projects or large-scale developments. As green building becomes more mainstream and is added into the early design process, costs associated with green building will continue to fall. In addition, many technologies, such as solar hot water or ground source heat pumps, become more cost effective as centralized systems in larger developments.

The GreenHome is expected to be completed in early 2007 and will be available for tours.

For more information, visit www.mainstreamgreenhome.com.        EC