Most modern-day stresses stem from a variety of current issues: economic, social, political, and environmental. One step in the right direction is green building. The expansion of green architecture on a grand scale will help solve a variety of issues across the nation, but investing in an eco home can solve environmental as well as economic issues on a personal level.
What is green building?
Green building is the construction of sustainable buildings. From design to construction, green building aims to eliminate negative environmental impacts and replace them with positive impacts. Some of the many features involved to make a structure a “green” building are:
1. More efficient use of energy and water
2. Renewable solar energy
3. Use of non-toxic and sustainable materials
Buying a green home or a “Zero Energy Ready” home means buying an energy efficient home. These high-performance houses use enough renewable energy that it can offset almost all annual energy consumption. What does this mean for homeowners?
Why green building?
Investing in a green home has serious perks. Not only can investors eliminate a large portion of their own personal carbon footprint but according to the World Green Building Council, green homes and buildings “in many cases [can] have a positive impact on the environment by generating their own energy or increasing biodiversity.”
On top of helping the environment, green homeowners also save money in reduced utility costs. Outside of mortgage payments, heating, cooling, and water make up the second largest cost of owning a home. With renewable resources replacing outdated energy sources, green homeowners see major monthly savings.
Green homes also increase in value more so than standard homes. The USGBC says “Upfront investment in green building also makes properties more valuable, with a growing number of building owners seeing a 10 percent or greater increase in asset value. The percentage of owners reporting that level of growth has nearly doubled since 2012.”
Ready to make a change?
Looking to invest in a green home? Potential homeowners can find out just how energy efficient the home they are looking at buying is. The Home Energy Rating System is the standard for measuring how sustainable a home is. A HERS report outlines the features of a home as well as the anticipated costs of utility bills.
Green building is the future. Start by learning the HERS Index of your own home at https://www.hersindex.com.