However, the most significant benefits can be obtained if the design and construction team takes an integrated approach from the earliest stages of a building project.
Potential benefits of green building can include:
A Healthy Home
- Is Made up of materials that are not harmful and decrease pollution.
- Inherently combats household problems such as mold.
- Employs natural ventilation techniques.
An Economical Home
- According to Green Home Guide, month to month, people who live in green homes save money by consuming 40% less energy and 50% less water than standard homes.
- Soon, it will cost less to insure a green home than a standard home. The Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company already offers a 5% discount to LEED-certified commercial buildings.
- A green home is more durable than most standard homes because of its high-quality building materials and construction processes, requiring fewer repairs.
- The value of a green home is typically higher than that of a comparable standard home, and the market demand for green homes continues to rise. The Solaire, a green residential high-rise in New York City, brings in rents 10% to 15% higher than market rates, and in Rocklin, Calif., the LEED-certified homes in the Carsten Crossings development outsold the competition 2-to-1.
- Local, state and federal governments are increasingly offering tax breaks and other incentives for building LEED homes or adding green features to your home.
An Environmentally Friendly Home
- Residential cooling and heating alone make up 20% of the United States’ yearly energy use. Throw in household lighting, appliances and other electronic equipment, and homes are clearly a major source of energy consumption. Most of that energy comes from greenhouse gas producers like oil and coal, contributing to global climate change. Green homes use 40% less energy than comparable standard homes.
- Some green homes further reduce our dependence on conventional energy sources as they generate some or all of their energy needs through alternative energy sources like the sun, wind, geothermal energy and biomass.
- Efficient plumbing and bathing fixtures, drought-tolerant landscaping and water-conserving irrigation systems help green homes use, on average, 50% less water than standard homes.
- Building a standard 2,500-square-foot home creates approximately 2 tons of construction waste that ends up in landfills. Construction of a green home, however, generates 50% to 90% less waste.
