What is a Green Home?
A green home uses less energy, water and natural resources; creates less waste and is healthier for people living inside. There are many shades of green building; which refers to the various levels of achievement in adopting resource efficiency in a home. Homes with one or two green measures are considered light green, while homes with numerous green measures are called dark green. There are several programs that attempt to quantify the level of greenness such as U.S. Green Building Council and NAHB. The LEED rating program has four levels off green: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The NAHB’s Green Building program has three tiers Bronze, Silver and Gold.
When many people think about green homes, the things they often envision are solar power, Energy Star appliances and low-flow toilets. The reason is that these features have received publicity and tax credit incentives. Also, making these changes to a home or buying a new home with these features is a terrific way to help the environment by saving energy and water. In terms of saving energy, although Tucson Electric Power no longer offers in-home, energy inspections, it does have a useful “Energy Advisor” on its website (www.tep.com). Anyone can enter data about his or her home, and this on-line resource provides ways to save energy as well as detailed information about energy use and cost. TEP customers also can have their recent bills downloaded and compare their energy use to other homes. Yet when it comes to a green home, I think that saving energy is only one part of the equation. As soon as you step through your front door almost everything that you see impacts the environment an
A green home uses less energy, water and natural resources; creates less waste and is healthier for people living inside. There are many shades of green building; which refers to the various levels of achievement in adopting resource efficiency in a home. Homes with one or two green measures are considered light green, while homes with several green measures are called dark green. There are several programs that attempt to quantify the level of greenness such as U.S. Green Building Council and NAHB. The LEED rating program has four levels of green: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The NAHB’s Green Building program has three tiers Bronze, Silver and Gold.
