Why Build Green - Residential

Green homes have many advantages—for builders and consumers as well as the environment.

• For builders, they offer the ability to differentiate your homes from others on the market, reduced callbacks, and the potential for increased profit.
• For consumers, they offer better indoor air quality, lower operating costs, reduced maintenance, and higher resale values.
• For the environment, green homes offer greater energy, water and resource efficiency, and reduced impact overall.

There has never been a better time to build green homes. Consumer demand is on the rise and homeowners are increasingly willing to pay a premium for green features. There is also an abundance of resources—from the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Model Green Home Building Guidelines to the many programs based on the guidelines offered by local home builder associations. As a result, help is never more than the click of a mouse or a phone call away.

MYTH #1 - Green building is complicated.
Some people go to great lengths to build green homes—installing solar panels or a geothermal heat pump for renewable power, for example. Others build green by adding extra insulation or energy-efficient appliances. Choose the level that works for you, and enjoy the satisfaction that comes from knowing that the changes you made are good for your customers, your business and the environment.

MYTH #2 - Consumers aren't concerned with building green.
While the overall housing market continues to cool, the green building sector is expected to increase from its current value of $1.8 billion to between $6.5 billion and $19.6 billion by 2010, according to a recent study by the NAHB and McGraw Hill Construction. Most green home buyers look for a variety of features, including energy conservation (such as solar energy and fluorescent lighting), renewable or recycled materials, anything that reduces global warming, and lower operational costs.

MYTH #3 - Green building is expensive.
Many green building techniques can be applied at little or no additional cost. Plus, when operational costs-such as heating, cooling and water use-are factored in, green buildings often cost less over time. Thanks to the green building movement, structures built today are typically twice as energy efficient as those built 30 years ago. Dishwashers use 40 percent less water, the amount of energy needed to run a washing machine has dropped 45 percent, and toilets use 1.6 gallons of water per flush compared to four in the 1970s.