Green has been “in” for a bit and the movement towards conservation and more responsible living is here to stay. If you’re like me, saving energy and water makes you feel good, and saving money on your monthly utility bill is an added bonus. Below is a list of high performance features that you might find missing from an older home. If you’re committed to living green, you might find that buying a new home is the best option for you.
Energy efficient microwave
Energy efficient refrigerator
Energy efficient dishwasher
Energy efficient washer
Energy efficient dishwasher
Low flow faucets
Low flow showerheads
High-efficiency toilets
CFL or LED lightbulbs
Smart irrigation systems i.e. rain sensors, automatic sprinklers
Low maintenance, climate based landscaping i.e. drought resistant plants, trees for shading and/or windbreaking
Programmable thermostats
Dual pane low-E windows
Fiber-cement products
High performance insulation (batt, expanded)
Low or No VOC paints
Properly installed air ducts in all the right places i.e. attics, garages, unfinished basements, crawl spaces
Right sized high efficiency heating and cooling systems
Energy efficient water heater i.e. solar, tankless
Lighting controls i.e. dimmers, times, motion sensors
High performance housewraps i.e. 60-minute, DuPont’s Tyvek
Solar panel roofing
Air exchanger
Airtight Building envelope (combination of proper design, construction and materials)
Homesite conservation i.e. re-planting/donating trees, reuse topsoil, use cleared wood and brush as mulch
Okay, not every new home has all 25 of these features, but most have at least a few. Nearly every new home built today is quite a bit more energy efficient than a home built last decade, or even only a few years ago.
Green building concepts have been around for years, but up until recently, they’ve only been practiced by a few builders in select locations. Today, most builders offer energy efficient features in all of their homes; some more energy conscious builders offer all 25 of these features and more.
If you’re trying to lighten your carbon footprint, don’t let the opportunity to buy a green home pass you by.
Sources:
Brookfield Homes
Elliott Homes – Terra Vista
Capital Home Builders
American Legend Homes
Even if they don’t say Energy Star on them, most appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners today are much more energy efficient than older models.
Great article. Actually it all boils down to personal preferences and budget. If you want to go “green’ and do your share in saving the environment, then investing on a new home would be great. But you can also opt to go for an old home sans all the “green” stuff and then decide to integrate all 25 features later on. For fiscally savvy homebuyers, this is not much of an issue…
Going Green really is up to the individuals conviction on the environment and personal issues. Many people don’t care about this yet and are only looking at their budget. If it makes “cents” for them, and it makes “sense” for the environment, they will opt for a green renovation. I do agree that newer homes would be easier to go green in than older ones.
Thanks Jayson that was an interesting read. Out of interest how does the cost compare for energy efficient Microwaves and fridges?
Have a good weekend
My 100th comment, do I get a gold start?
One very economic trick for older houses is to rent an energy camera or a thermo camera, you can find many energy hole in your house who often is cheap to fix. I have seen 3 day rentals from $299.
@Sundream Estate – 100th Comment! Woohoo! If you want to do a guest post sometime let me know.
Well anyone can replace appliances! I feel like more and more people are remodeling old homes and putting in nice energy efficient features while still having the style of an older home.
This would motivate people on how to promote green living… With these type of appliances required to use at home will surely develop a healthy and energy saving environment.
Thanks for this very helpful post and let’s promote green living!
@Sundream Estate – of course you get a gold star! Thanks for your continued participation. I’m not sure how microwaves and fridges compare, but I’m sure it depends on make, model etc..
Good information Jayson. We as agents have to be better equipped to talk to our clients intelligently about energy efficient home building as well as the systems.
When I’m on the job and people let me into their homes, I see such a huge range of different types of homes. Some people will insulate everything, and if they have appliances in their garage they will all have an energy star sticker on them. And as I work, we’d talk about their insulated walls. Then on the other end of the spectrum, I go to some homes that have walls as thin as paper. Their garage is the most basic type of door that someone could get. And generally, their appliances will be very old. Which I think it’s safe to assume that they are not energy efficient.
I think the best way to really have everyone go green is to give incentives for people to recycle old refrigerators, dryers, washers, and more.
I have quite an old house and it doesn’t have any of these features. To be honest, I wouldn’t have thought of any of these features anyway but I’m going to try and keep a note of this page so I can update the things around my home to try and make it all more ‘green’.
I think people are thinking more and more of replacing old appliances with newer, more efficient, greener models when they break down. Its not always possible to afford them unless the old ones go wrong.