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PathGreen Home Buying
The
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PathGreen Home Buying
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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
PathGreen Home Buying
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
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