If you want to buy or build a home, you probably have a lot on your mind. “Where?” and “How big?” and “How much will it cost?” are three fundamental questions.
The environmental angle may seem secondary. But by “thinking green,” you may actually save time, money and stress, as well as ending up with a home that is more satisfying to you.
It’s a cliché that the three key words in real estate are “location, location, location.” But, when thinking green, those three key words become: “location, orientation and insulation.”
The location of your house can have a big impact on how much energy you use for transportation. Being close to work, schools, child care, and food will become only more important as gas prices increase. The best scenario for most people with children would be to have their schools or daycare on the way to work. Even better would be also having a place to buy basic groceries on the route, and being within easy walking distance to public transportation and parks.
Real estate ads rarely mention a house’s orientation or trees. The ideal is a home with many windows and deciduous trees on the south side (i.e., towards the sun). A southern orientation provides precious sunlight in winter, which is an advantage both in terms of energy efficiency and seasonal mood challenges. Deciduous trees provide shade in the summer, but allow the winter sun to reach a house.
Roof overhangs also matter. In my family’s home, the kitchen and living room both have south-facing windows. This works well because the sun is lower in the sky during winter months. Between the deciduous trees and the roof overhang, there is lots of sun when we want sun, and there is shade when we want shade. Having a few evergreens on the north side of a home can also help protect it from cold north winds.
People tend to buy the largest homes that they can afford. However, it takes more energy to heat and cool larger homes, as well as to maintain and furnish them. Larger homes also shed more rain water, which adds to the strain on the municipal storm water system. Two-story homes have an advantage in this regard over one-story homes with similar overall square footage. And, since the foundation and roof are two of the most expensive features of a home, a two-story home also costs less to build per square foot.
As with the home itself, it’s important to consider the energy efficiency of the lot that it sits on. Less lawn equals less energy, time and money to maintain.
In this time of high heating costs, most people realize that a well insulated home will save thousands of dollars in energy bills in just a few years. Fewer realize that a properly insulated and ventilated attic will actually prolong the life of the roof. That saves money, and will help keep roofing shingles out of landfills.
Interior considerations include looking for the presence of lead paint (outlawed as of 1978), radon, asbestos, mold and toxic outgassing. Hire a home inspector certified by the American Society of Home Inspectors to check out a house you are considering buying or the one you are building. If your real estate agent or builder resists this, add them to your list of environmental hazards and find a new one.
As with most things in life, no house is perfect. But “thinking green” can save you money which can then be used to fix some of the flaws. Buy a smaller, more energy-efficient house located where you will use less gas, and use some of the money you save to replace an ugly carpet with cork or bamboo flooring grown in a sustainable way. Use the rest of your savings to tear out that old furnace and replace it with a high efficiency model. A house’s imperfections may actually be opportunities to make your home more earth-friendly!
Versions of this article were originally published in the newsletter of the Sierra Club-Huron Valley Group, www.michigan.sierraclub.org/huron and in Home News.
Here are a few resources that might help you “think green” about your next home:
http://www.notsobighouse.com/
http://www.energystar.gov/
www.ecohome.org
Your Engineered Home by Rex Roberts can be found online and is particularly helpful in relation to southern exposure and roof overhang. http://www.greenspacehomes.ca/drupal/node/66
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