Commitment to Sustainability

SNDSI is committed to ensuring that POP homes are Sustainable – meaning that they both conserve natural resources and
ensure affordable utility costs for families.

To achieve that goal, SNDSI and its contractors have sought to meet the EarthCraft standards in each home renovation. EarthCraft House is a trademarked residential “green” building program of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association in partnership with SouthFace and serves as a blueprint for energy and resource-efficient homes.

In order for a home renovation to meet EarthCraft standards, it must be assessed prior to renovation in order to identify potential improvements related to energy efficiency, indoor air quality, durability, water conservation and waste reduction. Each improvement is assigned a point value and a developer must select and implement enough renovation improvements to score 100 points on the EarthCraft Renovation Worksheet in order for the home to be certified EarthCraft.

Recent POP renovations have exceeded the EarthCraft threshold by 50 to 100 percent, resulting in utility costs that are affordable for working families. 

"While the average household spends 

about 5 percent of its income on energy bills, 

the average low-income household 

spends about 15 percent and 

some households on fixed incomes 

spend as much as 35 percent. 

After home weatherization, 

the average spending for energy drops to 

10 percent among low-income households and 

21 percent for fixed-income households. 

These savings materially 

increase the household standard of living

and can be put to other uses,

including setting the thermostat to a more comfortable temperature,

as well as for food, clothing, or education."   “"

"Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy," by McKinsey and Company