What is a “Green” Home?

Most of the public has heard of “green homes” but what does that mean?  Besides painting a home green, how do you go about making a home green?   Hint – it’s easier than you think!

A word about “green.”   The word is over-used in the construction industry and is generally frowned upon by those in the industry.  But knowing that word would bring instant understanding, I used it.   It’s better to say you want to “improve” a home’s performance or use the term “high performing home” after you improve it. 

High performing homes have features that can be added to an existing home or included when the home is built.  These features make the home more energy efficient, save water, have improve indoor air quality, include renewable resources, may have non-toxic materials, and may produce energy to offset part or all of an electric bill. 

Existing housing stock today includes the most unique types of construction in history.  In Arizona, homes are built from 1848 to brand new. Construction types that you’ll see in the MLS are adobe, rammed earth, straw bale, steel frame, and the most common construction type is wood frame.  But there are a variety of other homes that are site built, modular, and some are built from shipping containers just to name different building types.

The first step to improving your home is knowing what you own.   A knowledgeable energy auditor can explain the key differences in your home, the features, and will perform testing to understand your home’s unique footprint.  You can find an energy auditor on your electric company website.  In Maricopa County, parts of Pinal and Yavapai County, electricity is provided by Arizona Public Service (APS) or Salt River Project (SRP); the electric company in Tucson is Tucson Electric Power (TEP.)  Contractors are typically vetted so that they follow the same standard testing procedures and don’t harm the public or provide misleading information.  For information, visit this site https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/professional-home-energy-assessments.

You’ve probably heard of an “energy audit” but contractors may refer to this process as a “home performance assessment.”   A contractor will seal off your ductwork and perform a “duct blaster test,” a “blower door test,” and use an infrared camera to review construction areas and insulation to see how leaky your home is and ways to improve it.  The duct blaster test, as an example, is meant to know if your ducts are leaking into your attic or crawl space.  It’s very common to find leaks.

After having an energy audit performed on my home, I learned the ducts were leaking 24%.  That means that 24% of the air I was paying for to cool or heat was leaking from the ducts into my attic.  This is a waste of money and energy.  But not to fear, this is easily rectified by a contractor.  They can either seal the ducts manually with an aerosolized resin in your attic, or if your ducts are encapsulated because you have a flat roof, they will use a machine and “Aeroseal” your ducts.  The latter can also be performed on flex or rigid ducts if you have an attic but know that it’s more expensive to use Aeroseal.    I had my ducts sealed by Aeroseal which at that time cost $1000 for a 1500 square foot home with hard rigid ducts.  

It’s important to understand the cost and return on investment of any improvement.  Starting with the lowest cost items will ensure the best return on investment.  Your energy auditor can help with that as they have software to share testing results, and which items provide the best dollar value and return on investment.

Thanks to products, 3rd party testing, and building certifications, a homeowner can improve their indoor air quality, save water and lower electric bills to whatever level they choose.   Understanding how a home works and ways to improve it gives you the satisfaction that you can control your electric bill through your habits.  Know when to use major appliances by understanding on and off-peak power usage by contacting APS OR SRP.