The Natural Home Guide to Buying a Green Home

Enlarge Image Image Gallery First prioritize the green-building issues that are most important to you, then try to find a home that meets those needs.

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Danielle and Gavin Craig of Lansing, Michigan, found an affordable first home but didn’t want bank-breaking utility bills. So, they got an energy-efficiency mortgage, which helped them upgrade the furnace, add attic insulation and seal leaky windows. The result? Their utility bills are about one-third less than those of their neighbors.

“No one expects people to make home-buying choices to benefit the environment alone,” says Kim Calomino, director of Built Green Colorado, “so we hope homebuyers recognize the direct benefit to themselves: reduced costs to operate and maintain the house, higher quality indoor air and improved comfort.”

Sound good? Here’s how you too can be a smart home shopper.

1. Know Your Developer or Community

• Look for signs that the land has been respected. A lot happens before ground is ever broken. “When we plan a community, we start with the natural systems,” says Kitty Green, president/CEO of the Bonita Bay Group, whose Verandah community earned Florida’s first “green community” designation. “We make sure nature is protected or enhanced.”

• Ask about water-wise systems, including separate water systems for potable and non-potable water and the use of native vegetation, yards and greenways.

• Consider commuting issues, including access to mass transit, safe bike routes and amenities within walking distance. “Many of my clients bike to work,” says Dana Griggs, a member of the Green Team at Hasson Company Realtors in Portland, Oregon. “Access to bike paths is a valuable green feature for homebuyers.”

2. Understand Third-Party Certification Programs

To earn green designations from a third party, homes must perform at least 15 percent above code in terms of energy efficiency. Hunting for a green home will go more smoothly if you learn how houses are rated. For instance, in the Built Green system, higher numbers are better because points are totaled from each green element in the house. In the new RESNET system, however, lower numbers mean more efficient homes. Certification programs include:

• Energy Star: Homes meet national energy-efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

•LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design): Homes meet national standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council for design, construction and operation. The houses are evaluated in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, sustainable materials, and indoor environmental quality.

• Built Green: Homes meet standards set by local homebuilder associations, utility companies and conservation groups. Check with area homebuilder associations or see www.BuiltGreen.org (Colorado) or www.BuiltGreen.net (Seattle).