What is a Green Home?

Consider that when remodeling your home, you can have a significant impact on energy efficiency and therefore utility bills—which in turn affects air pollution and your environment—simply by making your home more energy efficient.

For instance, adding more blown insulation (such as cellulose), ensuring a correctly sized and annually serviced HVAC system, and sealing doors, windows and leaks with weather-stripping and caulking, can all save as much as 15 percent on utility bills, according to many experts (when compared to similar homes).

Include an Energy Star refrigerator, programmable digital thermostat, CFL or LED lights (instead of incandescent bulbs) and double-paned insulated windows, and you should see 30 percent to 50 percent greater energy efficiency!

Not only does this save on utility costs, but it also means less coal is extracted and burned to create your electricity, which results in better air quality and less greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly half of all U.S. electricity comes from power plants that burn coal, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

When you consider the lifecycle costs and total costs of ownership when owning and operating a home over time—not just the initial sales price or upfront cost of an energy efficient upgrade—then payback could be immediate. This is often the case with a new Energy Star Qualified home where the lower utility bill offsets the slightly higher sales price and mortgage payment.

For an older home remodel or energy upgrade, the payback could be in a few years, depending on extent of upgrades and the current-plus-projected utility bills. The best strategy to correctly identify the highest return on investment for a particular home is to get an energy audit performed by a qualified professional. Many local energy raters will assess your home for a fee. Visit the RESNET Web site for details on how to find one.

Although greening homes is a topic too big for one article, some other green home remodeling features include these and other practices:

• Recycling demolition waste to avoid landfill;
• Using sustainably harvested wood labeled “FSC” (Forest Stewardship Council);
• Using countertops made of recycled content such as terrazzo;
• Using a rainwater harvesting system for landscape irrigation and to reduce storm water runoff;
• Switching to low-flow water fixtures and toilets;
• Using low-carbon concrete;
• Planting deciduous shade trees;
• Using low-VOC paints and finishes (volatile organic compounds);
• Using formaldehyde-free interior products in interior paint, carpet and adhesives, etc.

We discussed one component—energy—in detail because energy efficiency is the largest single component of a green home (but certainly not all of the consideration). I encourage you to spend some time on the Web sites listed below and check back with us as we cover Green Buyers and Sellers, Listing and Selling Green, and Green Certifications and Rating Systems in upcoming articles.