Green is everywhere you turn these days from homes to cars, and clothes to furniture. Green is a new concept for the mass-market and there really is no uniform definition for what it means. This can be confusing to the consumer who is looking for green products and services.
Our program, Build Green Greater Columbia, is based on the NAHB Model Green Home Guidelines and takes seven categories into account. Each home verified as green in our program must acquire points in each of the seven areas or it will not be green. The categories are: Lot Design, Preparation and Development; Resource Efficiency; Energy Efficiency; Water Efficiency; Indoor Environmental Quality; Operation, Maintenance, and Homeowner Education; and, Global Impact.
Homes that are simply energy and water efficient are not necessarily green in our program. The builder must also properly plan the house for the best results, manage existing resources on the homesite properly (trees, green space, etc.), use building materials efficiently and recycle waste during construction, educate the consumer as to how to use the house properly, and so on.
What is your take on green in residential construction? Leave a comment here, and let us know what's important to you when looking for a green home.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I am very excieted about the opportunities that the Green Building Council will be able to provide to the home owner and the builder. I am a member of the Green Building Council and look forward to learning about building and living green as well as educating all persons want to learn about the Green Inintiative.
Edwin Gerace
www.EdwinGerace.com
www.edwingeracesrealestateblog.com/
Good to see your enthusiasm Edwin! At this time my green home is underway, and although I'm a little nervous being one of the guinea pigs, It sure is fun to think about those reduced utility bills. my energy rater assures me often that we're doing the right things in the right order and that gives me a lot of comfort. My subs seem to be equally enthusiastic and very happy to get to show off some of their best ideas and craftsmanship. I'm into rough ins now, and everything is progressing smoothly.
I attended the "Build Your New Home Green" seminar at the Home & Garden Show last weekend. Michael Strong was a great presenter. I think learning about green homes is something that everyone can benefit from. I hope to meet with a client that wants to build green soon!
UPDATE: I've been in my new Green home since November and the performance is great! Super power bills. About 2/3rds less than my old house! Glad to find out that it wasn't me or my family to blame. I've started my own green blog at http://greensq1.blogspot.com
Post a Comment