A green home is a house that is designed and built to be environmentally sustainable and friendly.
The design and building are holistically done to ensure that the entire life-cycle of the building is done in a manner that is efficient when it comes to its use of resources and is environmentally friendly but not at the expense of classic building concerns such as comfort, durability, economy and utility.
There is no international standard on energy efficient and green homes. It is generally accepted that a green home has to fulfill the following parameters:
- It has to be built from recyclable materials that aren’t harmful to human health.
- The building process has to use energy, water and materials of construction sustainably.
- It has to provide good indoor air quality as compared to traditional housing.
An energy efficient home is one that has to fulfill the following aspects:
- It has to be built using materials that ensure maximum heat retention during winter while at the same time ensuring maximum cooling during summer.
- Energy use in the house has to be sustainable and friendly to the environment.
These green homes for sale as well as the energy efficient homes for sale meet the minimum requirements for both green homes and energy efficient homes.
They are affordable, durable and very comfortable. Some of these green homes for sale have the following design considerations:
- Roofing
Some homes offer various roofing materials that are “green friendly”. These include shingles made from recycled waste materials: plastic, rubber or wood fiber.
The raw materials are from two categories: clean post-domestic waste and clean post-industrial waste.
They are recyclable, durable and aesthetically pleasing. Some have incredible 50-year warranties and have good fire ratings that can lower insurance premiums. Some of these roofs are constructed using recycled aluminum, copper or steel.
They resemble wood shakes and come in a variety of colors. Metal roofs offer exceptional durability (a 50-year warranty) and fire resistance. Metal roofing is recyclable at the end of its life and is ideal for collecting rainwater.
Standing-seam metal roofs provide excellent bases for thin-film photovoltaic panels (also included in some offers).
- Landscaping
The landscaping used for some green homes incorporates the use of drought-resistant plants that require minimum watering. On top of all these, some still offer affordable energy efficient homes for sale.
The EPA designates an energy efficient home as an Energy Star home. This kind of house uses 20 to 30% less energy than ordinary houses.
Some energy efficient homes are constructed using Passive House Design. A certified Passive House will consume 60 to 70 % less energy than ordinary housing.
Due to this fact, some energy efficient homes for sale also meet the minimum requirements for green homes hence buyers can kill two birds with one stone.
Some of the Passive House Design concepts incorporated into some homes are:
- Reduced Air Infiltration
The International Residential Code allows a maximum of 7 ACH (air changes hourly) at 50P (Pascals) of pressure.
ACH is used to measure air infiltration inside, to and from the house so as to monitor the loss of both heated and cooled air.
Energy Star houses allow 5 to 6 ACH while Passive House has a maximum of 0.6 ACH. Moisture carried in air currents can cause rot and mold.
This means that some homes are more durable because of the reduced air infiltration.
- Eliminating Thermal Bridging
Thermal bridging is the process through which heat is lost through un-insulated areas in the house. Conventional insulation normally insulates joists and studs.
Some Passive House design includes the use of external rigid foam assembling, double wall framing and insulating underneath concrete slabs to minimize heat loss.
- Superior Balanced Ventilation
On a cold harsh winter day, interior air at 70oF exits a house and interacts with incoming cold air.
Standard ventilation systems combined with standard heating systems don’t improve the incoming air stream temperature, which is something that most household owners tend to complain about.
This situation also results in un-balanced ventilation (amounts of air entering and exiting are unequal).
Some homes are fitted with state-of-the art heat exchangers and balanced mechanical ventilation systems that allow heat transfer of 75 to 95% efficiency.
This means that the incoming air stream can get heated to 52 to 66oF. This eliminates the need for additional heating. Discover more about green homes for sale and energy efficient homes for sale at ebenezergreenhomes.com.