Green Homes an Encouraging New Trend

Photo: Dave Dugdale

I’m happy to see that one of the most popular emerging trends on the market today are eco-friendly “green” homes that actually give energy back to the grid.  Some homeowners are even seeing a profit from their home’s energy-generating capacity.  They’re paying $0 in energy costs, and even getting some money back.

A growing niche of new net-zero-energy homes are being built.  With a combination of efficient building practices such as dual-pane windows, air-tight ducts, and solar-voltaic panels, some homeowners are able to completely eliminate their energy costs, which run to over $2,200 a year for the average home.  Although in the winter, homeowners may have to buy some of their energy, they more than make up for it in the summer when typically energy generation greatly exceeds consumption.

I imagine that in our home state of California, such green homes would be all the more effective given the high number of sunny days we have throughout the year.  In fact, the building company Shea Homes has announced that it will make net-zero-energy or near net-zero-energy homes its standard model for new homes in its retirement communities in Nevada, Florida, Washington, Arizona, and California.  And the new net-zero-energy homes are affordable too.  Shea Homes’ solar-panel mounted model costs just $7,000 more than its previous base model.  Demand is rising for these new homes, leading some builders to consider them as the modern standard.

Recent real estate polls show that 50% of US adults list energy efficiency as among the top things they consider when buying a new home.

Even if you’re not considering buying a new green home, there are plenty of ways to make your home greener.  The EPA has a list of tips for sustainable-minded homeowners.

Read more about net-zero-energy homes at Inman.com’s original article here.