What is Green Real Estate?
There’s more to being green than simply using recycled materials, especially in the world of real estate. The materials used to build your home are certainly important, but there are a number of other factors to consider if you want to purchase a sustainable property.
The following are a few benefits that come with eco-friendly real estate:
Reduced water usage
Does your home or building have energy efficient appliances that minimize water use? Responsible green real estate takes into account how water is used throughout your facilities, leveraging the best methods possible to ensure the utmost efficiency. This means your washing machine and dishwasher can continue to do their jobs while minimizing waste, and your water heater can function without spending too much energy heating the water.
Jay Najarian , through the National Association of Realtors (NAR), has earned its Green Designation. NAR's Green Designation was developed in response to growing consumer awareness of the benefits of resource-efficient homes and buildings. The designation helps consumers who care about energy efficient and sustainable building practices realzie their green real estate and lifestyle goals.
For more information visit www.greenresourcecouncil.org
According to NAR, buildings consume 14 percent of potable water in the United States, so reducing this impact through green building initiatives creates significant improvements — both to the environment and your utility bills.
Improved air quality
To receive green certification or recognition, buildings must meet air quality standards by implementing certain systems and components. This may come in the form of air handling or air conditioning units, and are intended to circulate and clean the air within your building. Air ducts are part of this process in commercial buildings, and any property that has received certification has undergone significant efforts to earn it.
Green Home Guide provides some great tips for creating cleaner air in your home. And with green real estate, you can rest assured that homes or buildings that qualify are using industry best practices.
Significant cost savings
A home with comprehensive energy efficient functionality helps the environment and saves you money on your monthly energy bill. Sustainable materials that work effectively with all other components in your home enable you to maintain a cost-effective, environmentally friendly and truly healthy living space.
GREEN BUILDING
Building a Green home means that your home is a "high performing home that's energy and water efficient, has good indoor air quality, uses environmentally sustainable materials and also uses the building lot or site in a sustainable manner." The Green Building model focuses on increasing the efficiency of the use of building resources while attempting to reduce negative impact on the environment and health of the planet (and its people). Green Building has many names: sustainable building, green home building, environmental building, or simply green.
The U.S. Green Building Council, or USGBC, www.usgbc.org is a nonprofit group that has a point rating system for Green projects. The projects get certified "Green" through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, or LEED which hires consultants to certify that the project is Green according to USGBC regulations.
The National Association of Home Builders also has an accredidation (provided by the American National Standards Institute, ANSI) for Green building with its own Green building rules and standards.
Construction of Green homes should produce less waste, use less water and energy, and fewer natural resources than other similarly non Green built homes. Green homes should also use recycled materials and locally manufactured goods. Typically a Green home will cost 3 to 5% more to build but those extra costs should be absorbed by water and energy savings.
Consumers interested in green remodeling can access the Green Home Web Guide from the USGBC, www.greenhomeguide.com . REGREEN Residential Remodleing Guidelines 2008, another guide to green remodeling, from the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the USGBC.