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Why Go Green?
The Benefits of a Green Home
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hy Go Green?
As the New York Times recently reported, a 2007 study conducted by the National Association of Realtors found that 46 percent of homebuyers would like a green home. This is due to the vast array of benefits a green home offers, whether you’re making small renovations or a total overhaul. While different people are attracted by different advantages, they tend to fall in one of the following categories:
Money SavingsThe continual rise of energy costs has made green homes more attractive than ever.
According to an October 2007 survey conducted for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB),
64% of the people they surveyed cited “reduced energy costs” as their major motivation for building or
remodeling a green home. Fortunately, those who make the switch in hopes of lower
utility bills will not be disappointed.
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or one South Carolina couple, Emil and Judith Rigg, the savings were obvious. After living in their 2,700 square foot green home in
Hilton Head, they discovered that it cost an average of $50 a month in electricity bills – the same as their 750 square foot,
non-green guest house on the same property. Their solar batch water heater, which incorporates solar panels to heat the water,
cost them only about $20 a year to run. Additionally, they only required a half-ton heater, “whereas a normal house our size would require a seven-ton heater,” Mrs. Rigg explains.
Another important economic benefit to green homes is their sustainability – in other words, their decreased maintenance needs, which is due to constructing with durable, sustainable materials. A prime example is a metal roof, which will still be protecting from the wind and rain long after a conventional, shingled roof would have required replacement (costing thousands of dollars).
Still not convinced? Consider this: Your green home may qualify for a reduced mortgage (often called an “energy efficient” or “green mortgage”), lower insurance rates or even tax credits or incentives. Additionally, particularly as these high-performance homes become more mainstream, you will appreciate your green home’s increased value in the market.
Healthy Home In an age when society is focusing on healthy living, from buying organic food to exercising and eating right, creating a healthy home environment is a natural extension. Your home, where you spend so much of your day and sleep through the night, should be a healthy environment for your family.
Highly efficient HVAC systems provide drastically improved air quality and reduced exposure to mold and mildew (of great comfort to allergy sufferers). Careful selection of building products that do not omit harmful volatile organic compounds (often called VOCs) is also key. Avoid breathing in toxins that are normally released by things like paint, varnish and carpeting by opting for new and stylish “low” to “no VOC” options in the market.
Along similar lines, high-performance green homes also provide protection from outside noise and air pollution and drafts, thus maintaining consistent temperatures and humidity levels throughout the home. This also means heightened comfort for the entire family.
Environmentally
Friendly Finally, the original cause that initiated green building decades ago – far less publicized, but a movement nonetheless –continues to draw homeowners today. People are compelled to own a green home simply because it is the “right thing to do.” Conserving valuable resources, reducing your carbon footprint and recycling are undoubtedly positive actions. According to the EPA’s Energy Star program, American homes are responsible for 16 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, reducing energy use in your home reduces air pollution.
Fortunately, even the smallest actions can have big impact. Consider changing the light bulbs in your most frequently used fixtures to highly efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. According to Energy Star, these marvels of modern invention use approximately 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. If in every home in America one light bulb were upgraded to a CFL, enough energy would be saved to light more than three million homes for a year, equivalent to $600 million in energy costs. Plus, with improving technology, you can now purchase CFLs compatible for three-way or dimmer switches, and in warm and soft shades.*
*Editor’s Note: Please note that these revolutionary CFL bulbs do contain a tiny bit of mercury (enough to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen, or about 100 times less than that found in an older thermometer), so, when one burns out – which isn’t often – it should be disposed of properly, and, ideally, recycled. See www.energystar.gov
for all instructions.
Investment in the Future
Another reason for the increasing popularity of green homes is likely the maturation of green building products and practices.
Building your home green
today means it will be
more valuable in the
future, when green
practices become the
norm. Today, a green home can be designed to perfectly suit your style, from a modern condominium on the coast to a traditional estate home in the mountains.
Homeowner TestimonialEven with all the
benefits, making the
decision to buy, build
or renovate a green home
is a big one, indeed.
Explore one couple's
journey to buy a green
home in a sustainable
community.
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Kristen
F. Anthony has worked in magazines, newspapers, marketing and corporate communications. She has contributed to a variety of projects, from an award-winning newspaper special section on veterans to the 2006 Southern Living-Progressive Farmer Idea House. Kristen earned her BA in Communications Studies from Furman University in Greenville, S.C.,
and now calls Columbia,
S.C., home.
US Green Building Council & LEED
Western North Carolina Green Building Council
ENERGY STAR®
Southface Energy Institute & EarthCraft House™
NC HealthyBuilt Homes Program
National Home Builders Association
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