Welcome to Clark County’s sustainable home building project, the Planet Clark Emerald House.

Clark County’s Building Safety and Department of Environmental Services (DES) joined forces with the local building community and public-private partners to build Clark County’s first net-zero energy house In Clark County – The Planet Clark Emerald House.

The site was selected because it included both an unused and untaxed piece of land, and the house situated on the property became uninhabitable. The leaders of Clark County Building Safety created an opportunity to develop a new house based on the Clark County Sustainability Policy, and donate the house to a family in need. 

Since Clark County adopted the Green Building Standard in 2012,  the The Clark County Emerald Team investigated the requirements for a certified ‘green’ house to determine if the site was suitable. This was one of several sites previously considered for a green building house project, but the previous lots didn’t meet the criteria. After reviewing the requirements for an NAHB Certified Emerald House – this property was a match and would meet the minimum requirements. 

Emerald House was designed and built to the highest standards of green building based on the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Certification for “Emerald” level. This means it met rigorous stands for sustainable building, leaving a very small footprint on the environment and producing as much energy as it uses. That’s a pretty big deal considering the challenges we now face with limited and diminishing resources. But, it’s not just about the big actions we can take, there are many smaller actions to improve a structure’s longevity, strength, energy-efficiency, environmental footprint and health. 

Clark County is committed to fostering a safe, secure future where natural resources are conserved and basic human needs are met. This includes clean water, fresh air and healthy food, along with shelter, education and employment. Here’s more about the CCSP Policy:

The Clark County Sustainability Policy (CCSP) was adopted to identify areas of improvement relating to environmental preservation and enhancements, energy conservation and renewable energy resources. The CCSP advisory committee implements and monitors impacts and funds sustainable projects using the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System framework as a systematic methodology to manage change.

The Planet Clark Emerald House is another “lead by example” project, selected by the CCSP because it meets the policy objectives for neighborhood improvement, energy reduction, innovative design and efficient use of resources. Learn more about Clark County’s sustainability mission, targets and achievements.