How Green Is Your Home?

Green is the color of envy and with green living one of today’s hottest home trends, how “green” do people feel after visiting your home? Let’s find out by learning more about green living.

What makes a home green?

Decorating your home in shades of green might make your home appear green but as we all know, appearances can be deceiving. Your home needs more than a paint job to be considered a green home.

A green home is one that incorporates environmentally-safe and/or sustainable products and construction techniques. It is energy efficient and makes use of recycled materials rather than raw materials at every opportunity.

How can you make your home green?

With the green home trend in full swing, manufacturers are working fast and feverously to develop products to help your home develop a deeper shade of green. From glazed double-pane argon gas filled windows to bamboo flooring to compact fluorescent light bulbs, there’s almost no end to the green improvements you can make in your home.

Some other ways you can make your home green include:

• Using reclaimed water for watering your yard and other landscaping.
• Properly insulating your home’s attic.
• Using Zero Voc Latex Paints
• Using Recycled or Reclaimed Building Materials
• Installing weather stripping or caulking around window and door openings.
• Replacing appliances with more energy efficient models that have earned the Energy-star rating.
• Choosing flooring and wall coverings made from recycled/reusable products and locally-grown products. Bamboo, stone, cork and cotton are all great choices.
• Use Sustainable Landscaping Practices
• Lowering your thermostat by 1-2 degrees in winter and increasing it the same amount in the summer.
• Installing “low-flow” toilets, shower heads and faucets, including those outdoors.
• Covering your water heater with an insulated blanket or replacing it with a tankless, on-demand model.
• Collecting rainwater in cisterns that can later be used for watering plants.
• Repairing leaks.
• Installing a drip irrigation system.
• Recycling glass, cardboard, newspaper, junk mail, aluminum and anything else local regulations allow you to recycle.

How much does it cost to build a green home?

As with anything, the cost of building a green home varies considerably depending on the size of the home, where it’s located and who is building it. Green construction is still more costly than traditional construction, but it shouldn’t be long before the costs come into balance.

Although the costs of going green may be higher, doing so definitely is a worthwhile investment. Homeowners have plenty of incentive to go green starting with lower utility bills. Tax incentives and rebates help sweeten the deal as does the knowledge that much of the extra money spent to build green eventually will be recouped.

If you are interested in building a green home your best bet is to contact a few local builders who understand green construction. That really is the only way to know for sure how much it’s going to cost to build your very own green dream home.