10 Common Green Features in New-Construction Homes

Over the past decade, people have become increasingly conscious of their impact on the environment.

Home builders have noted the change in how people live and what they want from daily life and have designed spacious, comfortable new homes that reduce energy expenditure by up to 30 percent compared to older homes.

Below are the 10 common green features in new homes that make new homes more efficient and comfortable.

1. Energy Star Appliances Save Water, Electricity and Money

Energy Star appliances have become one of the most common ways families living in new homes can reduce their energy usage and utility bills. Builders offer families high-quality appliances that reduce the amount of water and electricity needed for daily living.

2. Improved Insulation

Heating and cooling homes accounts for most a home’s energy expenditure. Proper insulation plays a major role in vastly reducing the amount of energy and money needed to keep a home comfortable. Trying to insulate an older home cost tens of thousands of dollars, but almost all new homes have modern insulation to ensure they remain comfortable while reducing energy usage.

3. Programmable Thermostats

Programmable thermostats are one of the most popular pieces of smart home technology, and with good reason. These high-tech thermostats make it easy to stay comfortable, while reducing the energy needed to stay comfortable.

4. Low-Emittance Windows

Another common green feature that helps keep your cooling and heating usage reasonable are low emittance (low-E) windows. This special glass reflects harmful UV rays and heat from sunlight, keeping homes cooler, without making the house dark.

5. Beyond Compact Florescent Light Bulbs: Energy-efficient Lighting

Newly built homes take advantage of advances in lighting efficiency. In addition to using LED and compact florescent light (CFL) bulbs, many builders design their homes to maximize natural lighting, creating a living space that feels bright and airy, without needing the lights on all the time.

6. Sustainable Lumber for a Beautiful Home and Beautiful Planet

Builders hoping to attract increasingly environmentally conscious home shoppers frequently use ethically sourced building materials. Builders often use reclaimed wood for accent walls and flooring, while sourcing other lumber from sustainable forests.

7. Geothermal and Solar Energy

Using geothermal energy and installing solar panels used to be reserved for fancy hippy communes. Nowadays, builders incorporate alternative energy sources into their homes to help buyers that want to go beyond using energy-efficient bulbs and recycling to help the planet.

8. Cool Roofs

Builders have designed every aspect of their homes to make life comfortable and easy for homeowners, including roofs. Changes in building materials have resulted in roofs that reflect heat and light away from the home, increasing the overall efficiency of the home’s heating and cooling system.

9. Building Small

Shrinking square footage might not technically be a feature, but it affects the amount of energy a family uses. As floor plans change to better fit modern living — think eliminating the formal dining and living rooms and creating cozy bedrooms — people naturally spend less on the energy needed to a small home comfortable.

10. Building to a Specific Lot

While also not technically a feature, by building to the actual lot a home sits on, builders help reduce the energy and water needed to keep their homes running. By orientating a home in relation to the sun and designing a comprehensive landscaping plan, modern green home design takes every aspect of a home into consideration.

Home shoppers that care about the environment have a lot to love in new homes. As builders continue to increase the number of green features that come standard with their homes, home shoppers can make their dream home a reality and take care of the environment, all while saving money over the lifetime of their home.