Sustainable Building

Making a sustainable home doesn’t just mean going green — it means creating homes with lasting value that support the long-term health and growth of our communities.

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Habitat for Humanity Portland Region has a commitment to sustainable building and continuously looks for ways to make homes affordable to buy and live in. Durability reduces long-term maintenance costs, keeping homes more affordable for years to come. 

Earth Advantage 

We work with our partners at Earth Advantage to certify all our home to the Platinum standard. EA is a regional green building certifier that goes beyond energy performance to include health, land, materials, and water. 

All certified homes undergo a detailed verification process to ensure construction best practices are implemented. Since 2008, we have certified more than 340 homes with Earth Advantage.

Energy and Atmosphere 

  • All Habitat homes are built to exceed building code requirements for insulation. We use low- or no-VOC insulation products in all living spaces.
  • Habitat homes are constructed with insulated slabs or crawl spaces under the living areas. 
  • We construct 2×6 exterior walls to the intermediate framing standard.  
  • We install energy efficient windows ranging from u-0.28 down to u-0.20. A lower U-Factor indicates better insulation.
  • Raised heel trusses accommodate 20 inches of insulation, which makes the home more efficient when heating. 
  • We target 2 to 3 air changes per hour (ACH) at 50 Pascals to minimize air infiltration. The Energy Star standard is 4 ACH50 or less. We achieve this result with attention to detail and very little cost. 
  • Each home comes equipped with an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) or (HRV) heat recovery ventilator to help maintain healthy indoor air quality.
  • Exhaust fans vent to the exterior and meet Energy Star standards for air flow and noise. 

Environmentally Preferable Products 

  • All interior paints and finishes are certified low- or no-VOC.
  • All gypsum board used in Habitat homes is certified low-VOC. 
  • All flooring is durable, waterproof, low-VOC Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP).

Water & Space Heating 

  • All Habitat homes are electric-only; no natural gas service is installed. 
  • All Habitat homes are heated and cooled by high efficiency heat pumps. 
  • All Habitat homes are built with high-efficiency heat pump water heaters. 
  • Habitat installs 100% Water Sense certified faucets, shower heads, and toilets.

Climate Resilience

We design our landscape installations to meet Backyard Habitat certification standards. This: 

  • Conserves water by reducing/eliminating the need for irrigation or supplemental watering.
  • Supports biodiversity and reduces the proliferation of invasive species.
  • Supports birds and pollinators.
  • Supports local growers of native plants.

We build new homes with advanced fire resistance, including: 

  • Class A roof coverings (fiberglass shingles).
  • Noncombustible siding and trim.
  • Double- or triple-glazed windows.
  • Fire-rated exterior doors at all openings.
  • Ember-resistant mesh at roof vents (starting in 2027).