Homeowners value green home benefits but balk at buying

though many consumers understand the benefits of living in a green home, some believe buying a green home is out of their reach. A survey from the National Association of Home Builders Research Center found many people believe there’s a disconnect between living in a green home and purchasing one.  Consumers appeared to understand the wide variety of green home benefits from reducing carbon footprints to saving money on utility bills to even improving the health of children.

The majority of respondents (64 percent) indicated that the benefits from green home features were sometimes worth the added costs and efforts. This finding was consistent across all income level groups for both renters and homeowners.

The consumer survey, fielded in August 2010 to gauge perceptions of affordable and green housing, found that the majority of High (67 percent), Upper Middle (65 percent), and Middle (59 percent) income respondents, as well as nearly half of low income respondents (48 percent), indicated they believe a completely green home would be affordable to live in or maintain. Yet only high-income respondents were more likely to indicate that a completely green home would be affordable to purchase (71 percent).

“The health benefits, low utility costs and other factors make green homes ideal for all homeowners. However, it takes a united front of manufacturers, builders and organizations to help builders and consumers understand that building green can be affordable,” said Tom Halford, general manager, contract sales and marketing, Whirlpool Corporation, one of the sponsors of the survey. “There’s a need to bridge the perception gap between green-building and affordability so that builders and families understand that options exist to improve their footprint in the long-term, while saving money and resources in the short-term.”

Builders also question the affordability of green homes. The NAHB Research Center surveyed members of its Online Builder Panel and found that 87 percent believe green homes are affordable for middle income families to live in, while 30 percent felt green homes were too expensive for the segment to purchase or build. For low-income families, 70 percent of home builders believe green homes are affordable to live in, and nearly 60 percent of builders thought green homes were too expensive for low-income families to purchase or build.

Habitat for Humanity, one of the survey’s sponsors, incorporates sustainable materials and energy-efficient products in Habitat homes because it improves the affordability of homes.

“The challenge is to help people understand that building green doesn’t mean it can’t be affordable too,” said Larry Gluth, senior vice president of U.S. and Canada for Habitat for Humanity International.

By RKHenry

Amazing Green Homes

Making a large impact on the conservation efforts of the “going green” concepts, actor Brad Pitt has been the leading environmentalist so far, who has dedicated both money and manpower, to building green homes for the people of New Orleans. He has built his green reputation by using products from shipping yards to cargo bins, using these recycle items in building his uniquely styled, efficient, green housing in Louisiana.

Characteristics of a green home usually involves things such as:

• Design and Layout Features
• The Use of Recycled Building Materials
• Location of the Home
• Energy Efficiency and Uses
• Water Conservation Features

Interior items that are usually made of wood, should be substituted with materials made from recycled or salvaged materials. It is always best to use products that have been made from renewable resources. Not only do these items cost less, they help to keep unnecessary materials from piling up in a land fill somewhere. When purchasing items such as toilets and faucets, make sure that they are low flow, and water conserving products. Use conventional products in unconventional ways; like using green turf or grasses for your roof, and rock for your front yard. Another important factor to making your home green, is by using adequate insulation through out the entire house. Well insulated homes not only save on energy, in the long run, they can save you a bundle on your heating and cooling bills. In this economic era, how can you afford to NOT insulate your house?

Affordable Green Housing

This is the fourth in a series of video podcasts for the PBS series e2 design II. Each podcast takes you beyond the episodes and deeper into the world of sustainable design. Biophilia is a hypothesis that describes humans as emotionally connected to all other living systems. Jonathan Rose, a New York City-based real estate developer, describes how biophilia can guide building design in dense urban environments. In many instances, biophilia shares the same principles as sustainable building design.

Major corporate funding for the e2 series is provided by Autodesk. More information is available at http://www.pbs.org/e2/ and http://www.e2-series.com/

Duration : 0:4:46

Green Homes

Finally the Green homes in Mumbai are making a mark in the lavish city of Mumbai. It is slowly following the footsteps of Green technology to make the vibrant metropolitan experience some natural charm. The rising level of pollution, the threat of power cut, and the water-logging are influencing the builders to abide by the natural norm. This is because the benefits of Green Homes in Mumbai and other cities are being slowly realized. While the real estate market is undergoing a great change in design, style, and in terms of building technology to adhere the Green Home rules, the people are taking it quiet well. The upper-middle class crowd is also interested in making more payments for owning a green home.

Timber Green Homes

Top Green Homes projects in Mumbai