My Real Estate Blog

1)  The Smart Grid and Connecting Home. This terminology means, simply, that energy usage now has some accountability. "The development of custom and web-based display panels that show real-time home energy use, and even real-time energy use broken out by individual appliance, will go a long way towards helping change homeowners' energy behavior and drive energy conservation," says Earth Advantage.

2)  Energy Labeling. This is a great way for builders and homebuyers alike to compare green versus standard. This great tool helps everyone involved know how to get to most "bang for their buck."

3)  BIM Software  You may not be seeing its use on small scales, but for those larger residential and commercial projects it could be just the ticket to savings. The process includes making and managing building data, through the use of 3D, real-time modeling software. Increased productivity and efficiency are just two of the effects.

4)  Buying Into Green by the Financial Community. This means that lenders are wising up about the facts on green homeowners. Lenders and insurers are realizing that green home owners are more responsible, place higher value on maintenance, and are less likely to default due to lower operating costs of homes and office buildings.

5)  The Rightsizing of Homes. Homeowners have found over the last few years, that bigger is not always better. Beside the increased cost of construction, energy costs can be extremely high for large square footage homes.

6)  The Spread of Eco-Districts. In definitive terms, eco-districts are "an integrated and resilient district or neighborhood that is resource efficient; captures, manages, and reuses a majority of energy, water, and waste on site; is home to a range of transportation options; provides a rich diversity of habitat and open space; and enhances community engagement and well-being." (Portland Sustainability Institute) Be on the lookout for more of these great areas in your neighborhood and town.

7)  Water Conservation.  There have been great strides made to increase the efficiency of the big water users in our homes. Appliances that are Energy Star rated can use a fraction of the water of older models. Low flush toilets and high efficiency showerheads add to the water savings. The showerheads alone can save 750 gallons of water each month.

8)  Carbon Calculation. With buildings contributing roughly half the carbon emissions in the environment, the progressive elements in the building industry are looking at ways to document, measure, and reduce greenhouse gas creation in building materials and processes.

9)  Net Zero Buildings. This means a building produces less energy than it uses. This is done through the use of geothermal, wind, and solar forms of energy, which are produced at the building's location.

10) Sustainable Building Education. The more builders that know about, and are committed to, green building, the more the trend will spread and have greater effect.