Green Home Buying - Total Mortgage€¦ · Through green home buying and renovations, anyone can...

totalmortgage.com | 877-868-2503 1

PathGreen Home Buying

The

www.totalmortgage.com © October 2012



The

As the dominant species on this planet, human beings owe a duty of care to future genera-

tions to preserve and protect our environment to the best of our ability. We understand that

it’s tough to make time to save the environment when we hold full time jobs, raise families,

and attempt to maintain some sort of a social life. However, it is very possible to live a green

life without major sacrifice.

Through green home buying and renovations, anyone can transform their home into an

energy efficient, money saving machine. The green home was designed to minimize environ-

mental footprints, while still preserving a comfortable and healthy indoor living environment.

Contents 1. Win-Win 2. The Energy Rating System 3. Tips & Terms



With all of the variables considered, it’s

initially more energy efficient to purchase

an existing home than to build a new one.

This is the case because it preserves natural

resources that would be needed to build

a new home. In addition, you would avoid

disturbing the preexisting neighborhood

with construction. On the flip side, building

a new, energy efficient home, would allow

you to focus on specific green features that

would fit your lifestyle. While a green home

often costs more money up front, the money

that you’ll save over time in utilities will be

substantial. With both your wallet and the

environment benefiting from owning a

green home, there are still decisions that

need to be made, in order to make sure that

a green home is the right home for you.

Size

Traditionally Americans have believed that

“bigger is better.” Recently we have started

to reexamine this belief. Take a step back

and consider how the layout of your home

fits your needs. Do you really need all of

that open, unused space? A well designed,

smaller home will help you to save money

by cutting down on your utility bills, as well

as save energy that would otherwise be

going to waste.

Location

Your lifestyle, finances, and job will have a

significant impact on where you decide to

live. If you live for the social scene, quick

and easy access to restaurants, shops, and

sporting events, may cause you to choose a

city rather than a rural area. This will help to

minimize your car usage, and its emissions

of green house gases. In addition to your

lifestyle, you will also want to research the

state of the housing market in the area

where you are looking to live. This can help

to give you an idea of the current costs, and

future worth of your house.

Home Site & Landscaping

If you’re planning on building a new home,

the exact site and orientation are very

important. You might choose to orient

thermally efficient windows to the south

for maximum solar gain in the winter, with

overhangs to keep out the summer sun. Or,

you may opt to retain the surrounding trees

and vegetation so as to minimize the impact

you have on the surrounding environment.

Keeping trees, especially those to the south

and west of the home, will help to provide

natural shade on hot summer days. You

may also want to consider looking into site

A Win-Win Situation1


irrigation to help preserve the water quality

of your property. Rain gardens are useful for

keeping your property healthy and recycling

the use of water.

Conserving Water

It’s common sense that reducing the water

flow in and out of your home will help save

you money and ensure that there is enough

water for other people and wildlife. You can

do this by using Energy Star rated washers,

and low flow shower and faucet heads.

High efficiency, dual flush toilets only use

1.28 gallons of water per flush, so they are

another product to consider when building

your green home.

Energy Efficiency

Homes that waste energy also waste

money. Energy efficient homes will be well

insulated and nearly airtight. Energy Star

rated heat equipment, appliances, and light

fixtures will help as well. Efficient gas and

electric hot water heaters will curtail energy

costs as well as the expulsion of greenhouse

gases. Nationwide, energy use is responsible

for over 20% of CO2 emissions, so while

you’re saving money you will also be saving

the environment.

Healthy Indoor Living

You always want to feel comfortable in your

home. Moisture problems can be solved

with foundation waterproofing, grading that

slopes away from the house, and installing

proper flashing around the windows and

doors. A well ventilated home will keep the

moisture levels below that which produces

mold. Another tip to consider is to use

carpeting selectively. Carpets trap dust,

dander, and other pollutants that can be

harmful to you and your family.

Housing Facts • The fuel oil used by American households

for 1 minute would fill one 15x30ft

swimming pool

• The electricity used by American

households in 1 day is equal to the energy

used by Albanian Households in 1 year.


Energy-efficient and environmental-

ly-friendly homes and appliances are rated

in Washington using one of three methods.

If a home or appliance isn’t certified then

it won’t necessarily save you any money in

utilities, in taxes, or use less energy.

• Built Green - This is a Residential

Green Building Program with a rating

criterion for single-family homes,

condominiums, remodeled homes,

and housing developments. The ratings

range from two to five stars. To attain a

four or five star rating, the home needs

to be audited by a third party.

• Energy Star - This is an initiative that

improves the energy efficiency of

new homes. In order to be Energy

Star approved, the home or appliance

must be tested by a third party.

• Leadership in Energy and Environ-

mental Design (LEED) - LEED is a

national green building certification

system that addresses single-fami-

ly homes, town houses, and larger

condo buildings. LEED certifies

buildings for new construction. Third

The Energy Rating System2 party certifiers award LEED ratings of

certified, silver, gold, and platinum.

Tips & Terms3There are numerous options to consider

when tinkering with the layout of your

home in order to make it greener. Here are a

few possible green adjustments to consider

as you’re building or remodeling your home.

• Advanced House Framing - This is

otherwise known as optimum value

engineering. When you’re building

a house with a wooden frame, this

method uses only the required

amount of lumber, which results

in less waste and use of resources.

This is possible because installa-

tion material is used in place of the

lumber in certain places. The installa-

tion material also helps to make the

house more energy efficient.

• Drip Irrigation - This is a watering

system that consists of underground

tubes with holes placed at strategic

intervals for the maximum hydration

of gardens and flowerbeds.

Minuscule amounts of water are


lost to evaporation because this

system allows for the water to get

right to the roots of the vegetation.

This method is also an efficient

replacement for the common

sprinkler.

• Green Roofing - Green roofing

replaces the shingles on your roof

with soil and plants. This type of roof

is only viable on smaller, single-fam-

ily homes, but it provides superior

installation, absorbs harmful CO2

chemicals and creates oxygen.

• Pervious Concrete - Unlike standard

concrete, pervious concrete is so

porous that rainwater passes right

through it so it can become ground

water, rather than wasted water that

runs off into a sewer.

• Solar Electricity Generation (Pho-

tovoltaics) - This is an approach that

employs an array of photovoltaic

modules on the roof or on a ground

rack to convert solar energy into

electricity. With the proper climate

and array, all of the needs of a home

with lower to moderate energy usage

may be supplied by the sun. Build-

ing-Integrated Photovoltaic modules

are designed to also serve as shingles.

Battery backup can be added for

instant power during blackouts.

• Solar Heating Systems - Solar

thermal collectors can be mounted

on the roof or on a ground rack,

and can both pre-heat domestic

hot water and circulate hot water

to in-floor radiant heating systems.

Each room can be an individually

controlled “zone,” and many systems

are controlled by smart thermostats

or even via the internet. Solar hot

air systems are available for existing

homes that were not oriented to take

advantage of passive solar heating

through Low-E windows.

• Wind Turbines - If you live in an

open and windy area, a wind turbine

could be an option. While they are

relatively expensive and require

proper zoning permission, wind

turbines (at a location with a good

wind resource) can help to lower

the cost of your energy bills as well

as decrease your dependency on

traditional sources of electricity.

Battery backup can be added for

instant power during blackouts. Most

wind systems are “hybrids” that also


include solar electric generation.

• Daylighting - This is a low tech

method of strategically placing

windows, skylights, and light tubes

throughout your home so that you

can maximize the amount of natural

light, and minimize the amount of

artificial light in your home.

• Low E-Windows - Low E-Windows

are appropriate for any climate. They

are coated with layers of microscopic

metallic oxide that provide excellent

insulation. The outer panels of the

window prevent heat from entering

the home in warmer climates, and

the inner panels trap heat in the

home if you live in a colder climate.

• Compact Fluorescent and LED

light bulbs - These light bulbs last

up to ten times longer, use 85% less

energy, and generate 90% less heat

than standard light bulbs. The only

downside to these bulbs is that they

contain small traces of mercury in

them, so they could be dangerous if

broken and there are young children

in the house. Additionally, there may

be long-term disposal issues with

CFLs. These same issues also exist for

traditional flourescent lights, which

are also extremely efficient. The

new LED bulbs are about as efficient

as CFLs, with none of the mercury

hazards, but are more expensive.

• Energy Efficient Mortgages - If

you are interested in purchasing or

building an energy efficient home,

then you may be able to qualify for

an energy efficient mortgage. This

special type of mortgage allows you

to credit energy efficient features of

the home to the actual mortgage.

This could help reduce your loan

payments while cutting your impact

on the environment. Click here for

more information.

• For more energy saving ideas visit

otherpower.com

There are numerous options to consider

when tinkering with the layout of your

home in order to make it greener.


One final thing to consider when you

are searching or preparing to build your

green home is hiring a green realtor. These

specialty realtors have experience in dealing

with everything we discussed in this guide.

A competent green realtor will also conduct

an energy audit of your home, so that you

will know what areas need adjustments.

When you go green, everyone wins. It

seems that the one major reason why more

people don’t participate in greener living, is

because humans in general, are creatures of

habit. We are accustomed to doing things

a certain way, and we either fear change or

have a difficult time finding the benefits of

changing. By switching over to a greener

lifestyle, you can save your hard earned

money for something other than hefty

utility bills, and that is something worth

changing for.


The That’s it! You have completed the TotalPath

to Green Home Buying. You have a made

an important step on another path—the

one that leads to the American Dream!

*All housing facts are drawn from the 2009 Census Bureau American Housing Survey and the 2011 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

Green Home Buying - Total Mortgage€¦ · Through green home buying and renovations, anyone can...

Documents

Transcript of Green Home Buying - Total Mortgage€¦ · Through green home buying and renovations, anyone can...