What Makes A Home Green

Green building means designing, sitting and constructing a home as well as improving the way that homes use energy, water, and materials to provide a healthy living environment. Our architects and designers make it their priority to embrace sustainable building practices and the use of eco-friendly products and materials whenever possible, which is why all their green plans have been awarded the "Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR®." Our designers have taken into consideration all structural aspects, including insulation, window placement for natural lighting, air circulation, and the use of energy efficient appliances and lighting.

Building a green home begins with ENERGY STAR blue because the first thing you should consider when you begin building your new home is energy-efficiency. By purchasing one of our exclusive ENERGY STAR house plans, we've done the work for you. If you and your builder follow the guidelines and designs of these plans you will assure yourself a home that saves money on utility bills, provides better indoor air quality, a comfortable living space and helps protect the environment.

Typical features to look for in an ENERGY STAR qualified home include:

• An Efficient Home Envelope with effective levels of wall, floor and attic insulation properly installed, comprehensive air barrier details, and high-performance windows.
• Efficient Air Distribution, where ducts are installed with minimum air leakage and are effectively insulated.
• Efficient Equipment for heating, cooling, and water heating.
• Efficient Lighting, including fixtures that earn the ENERGY STAR.
• Efficient Appliances, including ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers, refrigerators, washers and dryers.

These energy efficiency features will say you about $200 to $400 per year on utility bills. More importantly, monthly energy savings can easily exceed any additional mortgage cost for building with the energy efficient products, resulting in a positive cash flow from the first day you move into your new home.