Two Ocala homes were certified in December as "Florida Water StarSM Silver(Florida Water Star)":/conservation/florida_water_star by the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.
The homes are the first in Marion County to receive the water-saving certification. Located in the Renaissance neighborhood of Ocala's On Top of the World development, they are equipped with water-efficient appliances and fixtures. "Florida-Friendly Landscaping™(Florida-Friendly Landscaping)":/yards principles that conserve water and protect water quality were used to create beautiful curb appeal for the property.
On Top of the World Communities staff members serve on the Florida Water StarSM technical advisory committee representing builders, and plan to build future homes to the Florida Water StarSM standard.
Florida Water StarSM is a voluntary certification program for builders, developers and homeowners. It encourages water efficiency in appliances, plumbing fixtures, irrigation systems and landscapes. Landscape criteria are based on the Florida-Friendly Landscaping "right plant, right place" principle. Irrigation criteria are designed to increase the overall efficiency of irrigation systems and promote correct scheduling. Indoor criteria help meet the needs of the occupants while reducing wasted water.
Residential certification uses points-based criteria and is suitable for high-, medium- and low-income housing projects. Certification can be awarded at the Silver tier for basic certification or the Gold tier for a higher water-conserving performance level. The District certified its first Florida Water StarSM home in March 2009.
Florida Water StarSM aligns with other green certification and recognition programs, such as "ENERGY STAR©(EPA ENERGY STAR©)":http://www.energystar.gov, the "Florida Green Building Coalition's green standards(Florida Green Building Coalition)":http://floridagreenbuilding.org and the "U.S. Green Building Council's(U.S. Green Building Council)":http://www.usgbc.org "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design(LEED)":http://www.usgbc.org/leed (LEED®) program.
For more information on the Florida Water StarSM certification, contact Susan Douglas, Florida Water StarSM program coordinator, 1-800-423-1476, ext. 4752 or visit the District's web site at "WaterMatters.org/fws/(Florida Water Star)":/conservation/florida_water_star.
The homes are the first in Marion County to receive the water-saving certification. Located in the Renaissance neighborhood of Ocala's On Top of the World development, they are equipped with water-efficient appliances and fixtures. "Florida-Friendly Landscaping™(Florida-Friendly Landscaping)":/yards principles that conserve water and protect water quality were used to create beautiful curb appeal for the property.
On Top of the World Communities staff members serve on the Florida Water StarSM technical advisory committee representing builders, and plan to build future homes to the Florida Water StarSM standard.
Florida Water StarSM is a voluntary certification program for builders, developers and homeowners. It encourages water efficiency in appliances, plumbing fixtures, irrigation systems and landscapes. Landscape criteria are based on the Florida-Friendly Landscaping "right plant, right place" principle. Irrigation criteria are designed to increase the overall efficiency of irrigation systems and promote correct scheduling. Indoor criteria help meet the needs of the occupants while reducing wasted water.
Residential certification uses points-based criteria and is suitable for high-, medium- and low-income housing projects. Certification can be awarded at the Silver tier for basic certification or the Gold tier for a higher water-conserving performance level. The District certified its first Florida Water StarSM home in March 2009.
Florida Water StarSM aligns with other green certification and recognition programs, such as "ENERGY STAR©(EPA ENERGY STAR©)":http://www.energystar.gov, the "Florida Green Building Coalition's green standards(Florida Green Building Coalition)":http://floridagreenbuilding.org and the "U.S. Green Building Council's(U.S. Green Building Council)":http://www.usgbc.org "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design(LEED)":http://www.usgbc.org/leed (LEED®) program.
For more information on the Florida Water StarSM certification, contact Susan Douglas, Florida Water StarSM program coordinator, 1-800-423-1476, ext. 4752 or visit the District's web site at "WaterMatters.org/fws/(Florida Water Star)":/conservation/florida_water_star.