Green Homes
As the consumer demand for environmentally friendly homes increases, building greener homes is becoming a priority for many home builders. Across the country, builders are constructing homes that are healthier for the environment and more cost-effective for homeowners. If you want to decrease your carbon footprint, and save money on monthly utility costs, buying a green home is your best bet. Below is a list of builders offering green homes for sale in new home communities throughout the United States.
Richmond American For over three decades, Richmond American has built new homes for more than 160,000 families across the nation. Our calling cards? Superior craftsmanship, value and a commitment to customer service from start to finish.
But our true passion is personalization. Cookie cutter is not our style. We believe your home should have your name on it. Our best success happens when we take it one home, one buyer, one dream at a time. That’s why we prefer to wait to finish your home until we’ve gotten your input. With us, you get to choose important things like cabinets, countertops and bathroom tile. A better way to build a home? We think so.
Rockrose by Brookfield Homes – Brookfield Homes has been using materials and building techniques that make a home last longer and save more for a long time. Recently, they introduced an “Eco-Savvy” community in Carlsbad, California. Rockrose at the Foothills recognizes that green conscious families want to live in a community that promotes the conservation of energy and natural resources, and is home to greener homes. The Foothills recreation center uses solar water heating and LED lighting and the new homes for sale in Brookfield’s Rockrose neighborhood will include eco-savvy features that reduce energy consumption by 35% or more; these homes also have environmentally friendly materials and water conservation features. New homes in Rockrose will start in the $600s.
Landon Homes is a Dallas home builder who stands above the competition with environmentally friendly features, such as eco-friendly fly ash concrete, Maxiplank siding, 2 X 6 wall construction and tankless water heaters come standard in every home. From the foundation to the roof, all of their homes are built to save residents energy and water costs, as well as help the environment by wasting less and conserving more. Landon Homes also recruits experts to help with each home in order to ensure their houses extend beyond any state required energy-efficiency standards. Communities built by Landon Homes range in price from the $170s to the $240s. View Communities
Since 2005, Marnella Homes and communities have been Earth Advantage/ Energy Star rated; they outperform code built homes by apx. 35%! Building some of the most high performing homes in the Oregon area, Marnella Homes has embraced the importance of sustainable building practices. In their communities, they utilize native plant species that are low water tolerant, they minimize the trucking in & out of material by stock piling top soil and the utilization of crushed rock by recycling the material found onsite. In their homes, they use Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV’s), which exchange conditioned fresh air with stale interior air to improve indoor air quality, improved house tightening measures and blown in bid (BIB) insulation. Also, they utilize tankless hot water heaters, high efficiency HVAC systems that perform at 95%+ efficiency and install ductwork within the conditioned space.
MBK Homes – Minimizing the impact of our carbon footprint is a concern that MBK Homes take pride in and in the summer of 2009 MBK Homes was honored for its efforts in building green homes. MBK Homes took the initiative and implemented a unique recycling program that benefited Polar Bear SOS, a Natural Resources Defense Council program aid the stop of global warming. MBK Homes builds new homes in Northern and Southern California with homes starting from the mid $200s.
Shea Homes – Shea Homes announced that each of the home builder’s Green Certified Homes will offer a 3-killowatt BP solar system as a standard feature. The EnergyTile roof-integrated solar electric system looks like a standard tile roof and can reduce a home’s carbon footprint by as much as 48%. Shea Homes becomes the first national residential builder to offer a solar standard across the nation. The Green Certified Homes are available in Shea’s Trilogy Active Lifestyle Communities and also include energy efficient appliances, solar attic fans, dual pane low-e windows, wood from sustainable forests, blow-in insulation from recycled cellulose and many more products and building techniques that promote energy efficiency.
KB Home – In 2007, KB Homes was recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for building 7,467 Energy Star qualified homes in eight divisions – Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin, Sacramento, Houston, Las Vegas and Southern California. According to a KB Home press release, these homes will save homeowners $3.3 million annually on utility bills and is the equivalent of planting 6,048 acres of trees.
D.R. Horton – In November 2007, D.R. Horton signed an agreement with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) to construct 187 solar homes in a Natomas, California neighborhood. These SolarSmart green homes are expected to be the equivalent of removing 90 cars from the road and save homeowners 60% annually on their utility bills.
Pulte Homes – By constructing more than 15,000 green homes, Pulte Homes has built more Energy Star homes than any other builder. In communities nationwide, Pulte Homes Energy Star appliances, low-flow toilets, low-E windows, right-sized heating and cooling systems and tight building envelopes, which help reduce energy loss. In some southwest communities, Pulte Homes include water conservation and re-use landscape designs.
Centex Homes – According to builderonline.com, in July 2008, Centex Homes announced that by January 2009, the company would include a “standard suite of energy efficient features” in homes nationwide. Centex Homes commissioned a study by the NAHB Research Center that concluded that these Centex Energy Advantage Homes are up to 40% more energy efficient than a typical 10-year old home.
Lennar Homes – In Sacramento, Lennar Homes is constructing one of the largest green home communities with 1,254 environmentally friendlier homes; construction on these greener homes is expected to end in 2010. In Roseville, California, Lennar Homes is building 650 homes with solar panels.
Elliott Homes – In Roseville, California, Elliott Homes is currently selling new homes with solar roofs and energy efficient appliances. These homes, in their Terra Vista community, were recently named “Roseville BEST Homes” by the Roseville Electric Company.
Hamlet Homes – To support this growing desire for a sustainable lifestyle, Hamlet Homes launched its Green Building Program in 2010 with a new Bronze-Level Green Certified townhome development at North Shore Village in Daybreak, South Jordan, Utah. Hamlet’s “green” homes provide the energy and environmentally conscious home buyer with healthy, energy-efficient living that is affordable, low maintenance and offers the best in sustainable living.
Green Home Plans
FreeGreen offers consumers and home builders free energy efficient home plans and designs. In addition, the company works with product manufacturers to give the home building industry, and consumers, different mixtures of green products, materials, and vendors. Their website gives visitors access to a wealth of information about green building and ways to “go green”. Several home builders that are not mentioned above, but do offer green homes for sale; ask your home builder what they’re doing to build greener homes.
Financing an Energy Efficient Homes
If you’re looking for an energy efficient house, it’s always a great idea to get pre-qualified before your begin your search. Lender411.com will allow you to view the lowest mortgage rates instantly from some of the nation’s top lenders.
Learn more about an energy efficient mortgage by reading this Energy Efficient Mortgage Homeowner Guide.