The Benefits of Building a Green Home

New technology, modern materials and environmental impact studies have made today's home plans embrace what is known as "green building'. The result is that architects, designers and builders are starting to incorporate more green features into their new homes. Thanks to new products and some very creative new ideas, consumers can build their dream home without sacrificing aesthetics. However, although consumers may be learning more about green building, many are still confused as to exactly what it all means. Some of the immediate benefits to using green house plansare living in a healthier, more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly home. The examples below may help inspire you to incorporate green building into your own dream home.

Save Money In the Long Run

There's help with financing. Local, state and federal governments are increasingly offering tax breaks and other incentives for building LEED homes or adding green features to your home.

Studies show that month to month, people who live in green homes save money by consuming 40% less energy and 50% less water than standard homes. That adds up to big savings over the years.

Find a professional familiar with green-building techniques who will save you money and can ensure you're getting the best-quality work possible. If upfront costs seem a little higher, it may be because many architects, homebuilders, engineers, plumbers and other industry professionals just don't have the knowledge or experience to cost-effectively plan, design and build a green home. Remember that the value of a green home is typically higher than that of a comparable standard home, and the market demand for green homes continues to rise.

A green home is more durable than most standard homes because of its high-quality building materials and construction processes, requiring fewer repairs and less repair bills.

A Healthy House

Green homes offer natural ventilation, as well as the use of mechanical ventilation systems to filter and bring fresh air inside and vent stale air outside. This helps keep residents breathing easy.

The growing use of toxin-free building materials helps combat indoor air pollution, which can be much worse than outdoor pollution. Unhealthy air inside can pose serious health risks for residents, including cancer and respiratory ailments like asthma. Children, too, are not exposed to toxic chemicals in a green home. Such non-toxic materials include wheat-derived strawboard, natural linoleum made from jute and linseed oil, paints with little or no volatile organic compounds and toxin-free insulation made from soybeans, recycled paper or even old denim.

Allergy suffers have far fewer problems with mold or mildew with green homes.

An Environmentally Friendly Home

There is less of an environmental impact when building green homes because far fewer natural resources are used in the construction. Many green building materials rely on significant recycled content. Some companies, for example, now make carpets and floor tiles from recycled tires and bottles. Green homes can also be constructed with salvaged materials from demolished buildings. Your house plans may call for materials made from rapidly renewable materials, like bamboo, hemp, agrifibers and soybean-based products. The use of wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council helps promote socially and environmentally beneficial forestry practices.

Advances in technology and new discoveries have helped to green homes further reduce our dependence on conventional energy sources as they generate some or all of their energy needs through alternative energy sources like the sun, wind, geothermal energy and biomass.

In keeping with the idea of less impact on the environment, green homes are more prone to use energy saving appliances and devices. Residential cooling and heating alone make up 20% of the United States' yearly energy use. Throw in household lighting, appliances and other electronic equipment, and homes are clearly a major source of energy consumption. Green homes use 40% less energy than comparable standard homes.

Efficient plumbing and bathing fixtures, drought-tolerant landscaping and water-conserving irrigation systems help green homes use, on average, 50% less water than standard homes.

Incredibly, construction of a green home generates 50% to 90% less construction waste. Whereas building a standard 2,500-square-foot home creates approximately 2 tons of construction waste that ends up in landfills.