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As more U.S. homeowners choose to take action to protect our endangered environment, the concept of “green homes” is becoming more popular. Generally, when someone mentions a green home, they are talking about a home that has ecologically friendly factors built into it.1
Green homes are designed to be sustainable and energy-efficient, and to have a smaller carbon footprint than conventional homes.2 Solar panels are a natural addition to eco-friendly homes because they enable the use of clean, renewable energy while providing savings long-term on utility costs.
Elements of Sustainable Housing
One benefit of green housing (also sometimes referred to as sustainable housing) is its contribution to reduced dependence on fossil fuels. Because green homes are constructed or retrofitted to use renewable energy such as solar, wind or geothermal energy3, they may decrease the community’s reliance on non-renewable energy resources that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Green homes may also be designed to preserve other resources; for example, they might incorporate fixtures and appliances that use less water.
It’s a straightforward process to design “green” features into newly constructed homes, but any home can be evaluated and improved to include energy-efficient features. In Massachusetts, for example, the MassSave program, funded by an energy efficiency charge on all customers’ gas and electric bills, provides free in-home energy evaluations, low-flow showerheads and LED light bulbs, and discounts on air sealing and energy-saving insulation, among other services and rebates.4
In California, meanwhile, Title 24 building regulations ensure that new and existing buildings achieve energy efficiency and preserve outdoor and indoor environmental quality.5 As of 2020, many newly constructed homes in California will be required to have rooftop solar systems.6
Should You Build Green?
As more Americans become environmentally aware, the future of green building seems bright. It helps that energy-efficient technologies continue to improve and the consumer cost of some technologies, such as solar, is dropping.7
Green building costs and financial benefits continue to evolve, but one thing is clear – the more we build new homes and retrofit old ones to be energy-efficient, the more eco-friendly our communities can become. That’s a positive step for environmental protection here and around the world.
