Realtor ®-The Woodlands Real Estate

Let me know if you have any questions. If I don't know the answer, I will find one.  :)

Thanks Mary for your help!

Stephanie! It looks great! I'm glad you posted this because these terms do tend to get confusing! 

You make a very important point, "If you are wanting to build, pick out the aspects that are most important to you.  It doesn't have to be one or the other. "

What works for you in Texas where you have a lot of heat may not work so well for me in Michigan where we have 4 seasons and very little sunshine during the winter months!

Excellent post! 

Thanks Mary, this is so true...about the seasons.  We have 2.  REALLT hot summer, and spring.  :)  Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.

Stephanie, I thought these terms where the same, I am so glad you wrote this post. I am getting educated here.

Hi Mana, many of these terms were the same at one point in time...but we are starting to see separate subjects now.  That was my conversation with the builder.  I guess the point was that in the future it could be misleading...?  I'm glad it helped explain it.

Stephanie - thanks for being "my" eco-broker - you are a wealth of GREEN info for the Houston Marketplace

Thanks Jack!  I got a bunch of GREAT Blogging info from builders this week.  I'll be having fun with it.

Stephanie--This is great information! Thanks for explaining. They are running a series on Green homes on a local news channel and it is very interesting the many different processes and products that are being used in new and remodeled homes.

Hi Teri, that would be interesting to watch!  It is all fascination to me. 

Stephanie,

A lot of these products are great products whether they are green or not!  Bamboo floors are just beautiful.  Geothermal heat can slash your energy bill in half or more depending on where you live.  I hope some of these like geothermal heat become more accepted so that the initial price comes down.  Right now the high initial cost of some of these items deters many buyers and builders from using them. 

Hi Rita, I agree.  :)  That's why I say these procucts are designed more for the consumer than the environment.  In a way.  The positive points compliment each other.  Thanks for stopping by.

Stephanie - Thanks for educating on "Green" I had not heard much about it before AR. It is fascinating!

Stephanie - I'm not sure the line is as easily set.  There's an awful lot of crossover between "high performace" and (subsequently) "green" homes.  To me, a "green" home is designed to work against the high consumption of energy resources...that's the simple answer.  A "high performance" home also fits that bill, just for slightly different reasons.  The processes and materials you cite can be incorporated into both models. 

great info Stephanie, I am fortunate enough to have an ICF builder in my back yard.... great information

Stephanie, Great information, but spawned a bunch of questions in my mind.  A couple right off the top...why is bamboo a greener choice than wood and are tankless water heaters showing up in these green homes?  That seems to be one of our largest shifts and people don't appreciate them as much as I think they should...

Hi Paula, I'm glad it helped.

Hey Thesa, you are very fortunate. :)  Thanks.

Hi Chris, I still think there are a lot of misconceptions regarding green..like price.  For instance, one can buy a High Performance Home for about 10% more, sometimes less.  So, on a 200,000 home it would be 20,000.  (just because I like round numbers) ...how much would that affect mortgage?  and the utility bills would be maybe...I've seen different reports..45% less.  I think it is all about educating the consumer. 

Ok..Jeff,  I waited because I thought this might be a long one.  :)  My conversation with the builder yesterday morning was along the same lines.  It really is not that clear cut.  I agree. There are many homes that have both characteristics.  We were talking about how green and high performance homes were being thrown in to the same basket....which is starting to give a misleading name to "green" homes and how High Performance Homes are really breaking off on to their own group.  I challenged this a little as well, but it made a lot of sense.  Should I change this somehow.

Stephanie,

Thanks for clarifying the two. I see a lot of builders advertising green homes now I can really pick out which ones are green and which ones are high performance.

Hi Stephanie -

I'm just reviewing notes from my conference with Mike Holcolmb. Mike was instrumental in putting together Green Built (TM) Michigan.

We had a very similar discussion and when I asked his definition of "Green" his reply was,

"Green is a collection of things. A system for energy efficiency. "Green" homes are designed and constructed to ensure

1. thermal performance,
2. occupant health and
3. reduced environmental footprint.

The program used for certification will have recognizable and measurable controls to insure that it meets a set standard." Standards for programs are derived by consensus from a community of individuals.

A Green home must address the needs of the occupant, as you said in your article. Mike feels the biggest factors to the occupant would be

1. budget
2. family health

(not neccesarily in that order).

Again, just one individual opinion.

I think your article creates a very good awareness that we all have different ideas about "green" and "high performance". The comments you have received also reflect that.  We need to be careful not to become too specific in our classifications.  It's all good!

Hi Mary,  I agree.  I thought this would be a good way for people to know the difference when a home is being marketed as either a "High Performance Home" or a "Green Built Home".  There are many builders that are going in between, which is great. 

I just wanted to put this out there.  With all of the recent talk regarding High Performance Homes I thought people may want to know a little about why it's somewhat different.

By the way, did all of you read the article regarding ICF's in EcoStructure Magazine this month?  It's a GREAT article. 

Great Post... Thanks!

Stephanie~ 

Now THIS is quite an interesting and informative post...I know a batch  o' REALTORS (of the ECO kind) who would love to see this all plotted-out and numbered and with a rating scale attached.

Stephanie thank you for the clarification.  I think most of the customers I encounter and who express a desire for a green property is really looking for a Hybrid based on criteria given to me.   I live down the road from the Greenest house in the Northeast, and I have had the opportunity to tour it several times.  Based on your post it is really a hybrid.  I might be getting the opportunity to work on a green project so don.t be surprise if I call you with a question.

I have sooo much to learn! I guess Hawaii would really have a different criteria as well.

Thanks Wayne and Linda!

Hi JaneAnne, that would be a great idea wouldn't it.  :)  I am working on some pretty neat posts right now.  I have had an amazing week and received a lot of GREAT blog fodder. 

Hi Jennifer, you are probably right.  Homes can have BOTH features, but because of instances like what you are saying...it's exactly what the builder was talking about the other day.  Hybrid Homes is a builder in MI but he has THE PERFECT name for it.  You can contact me anytime with questions.  I'll help the best I can.  Good Luck with it.

Hey Sally, I bet Hawaii is doing some great stuff too.  I'll try to find a good product for you to go see there. 

Stephanie, I'd like to invite everybody who is reading this to push themselves into learning more. I went to the Sellsuis Blog tour yesterday and everybody instantly identified me as "The Ecobroker". A few people asked me great questions or shared their information with me. But education is the key! And to be perfectly honest I'm not sure there is one correct answer - this is why we need push to learn more.

This is a very educational post. Thank you for all the work you put into this post. 

Chris- Bamboo is a greener choice because it is a renewable energy source. It can be harvested and regrows very fast! I am not sure of the stats but it is amazing!

We have the tankless water heaters and love them! We live in Florida and they work very well here because the ground temp water is warm. The same is true for Hawaii. In fact the company we bought them from are in Hawaii and Florida.  

Thanks Katerina.  Glad to hear you like your Tankless Water Heaters.  I want one.  :)

Nestor and Katerina, (if I may Stephanie) Bamboo is great stuff and that is why you see it being used in so many ways around the world. But for a green choice make sure your flooring, furniture, blinds or what ever are put together with VOC free products like finish and glue.

Thank you Stephanie for some great info - more and more buyers are "green" aware and this a nice presentation.

Hi Dena, by all means...please!  :)  I'm learning more about Bamboo floors right now.  Add anytime.  My fellow EcoBroker!

Hi Beth, Green is hitting many areas of the nation right now so it's important that we as agents stay informed as well.  You never know when you might get a green question.  :) Thanks for the great compliment.

There are not a lot of "green" or "high efficiency" builders in So. New Hampshire.  We have a lot of educating to do with both builder and consumers.  New Hamshire is a bit behind the curve -- I think it is going to take many years before NH builders and consumer jump on board.

Hi Joan, you would be surprised.  :)  I said the same thing before I jumped in to find that there is much more happening in Houston than I realized. 

Great post.....I didn't realize there was a difference between the two. Thank you!

Good conversation...

Stephanie,

How about "High Performance Green Home" as a hybrid term.

I actually had not thought Green and High Performance were different. Thanks for making me aware of the difference. This is a great blog!

I have been a high performance building guy for a while now. I got into energy auditing as a new branch of my home inspection business. So saving energy and building performance have been my focus. It did not occur to me this was in fact not Green.

Someone had discussed cost. This is where many people lose interest in having an energy audit because they can not understand investing in their home. They want to lower their energy bills, but when they find out a professional assessment of the home cost several hundred dollars, they opt out.

You had said a Green home on average costs about 10% more to build than a conventional home. Is there a pay off over the life of the mortgage that makes this a good investment? Do people balk at spending more money up front to be Green?

The pay off for high performance is lower energy bills which out weigh the higher mortgage payment. I would guess the same is true for Green.

Again great educational blog. I'll be visiting here often.

Stephanie,

You blog is great, don't second guess yourself. Writing is an evolving process. I have revised so many pieces I have written. Just part of learning.

Geothermal is costly here, but has been used. I have not personally seen a house with a system installed.

ROI is the key to any of these types of homes. There comes a point where the upgrades do not justify the expense.

Hi James, I agree about costs.  Mary Bigelow yesterday related this to CD's and CD Players.  Once the demand came around the prices dropped significantly.  Also, there is a point (like was mentioned to me yesterday by a builder) where since the products are still new that there will be vendors that feel the need to price gouge. 

Thanks again.

Stephanie, Great job on the star  It was a highly interesting post that certainly caught a lot of attention!!!

Thanks Chris!  I appreciate it.  Thanks for stopping by.

This is an amazing post and one of the many reasons why I keep coming back to your blogs. I learned something and it was painless. :)

I look forward to many more blogs like this.

Stephanie, amen to the "hybrid" of the two.  Being GREEN has more to it than simply being environmentally wise.  Being GREEN is also about being economically wise.  We love our GREEN earth, but we are wise to watch how much GREEN is leaving our pocket books as well.

So watching all aspect of the GREEN issue is truly the only way to go.  We must remind ourselves that being GREEN is a very BIG and complex issue, and we should do all that we can to be educated on as many aspects of it as possible, or be sure to hire those that we trust to be that professional for us.

DJ Breckheimer
SW Mpls Specialist
www.djBreck.com

 

Just a small thing I wanted to point out to help to confuse this issue, bamboo, while the fastest renewable "hard wood" (it is of course more of a grass) most of the bamboo that we find in the states is made in China and most of that uses some very toxic glue in the manufacturing process. I am looking at doing a floor in my house right now and I'm studying this stuff. 

Thanks Pamela,  what a great compliment!  I am glad it was helpful.

Hi DJ,  Absolutely!  It is complicated and very important to hire the experienced and educated when building/buying green.  These homes work as systems and it is imperative to make sure the systems work/installed properly.  Great comment!

Hi Michael,  You bring up a very good point.  It is very important to make sure the glues have less/no toxins.  Thank you for bringing that up.  Good luck with your flooring!

Thanks for the explanation! I am going to pass this information along!!!

Hi Barbara Jo,  Thanks!  and You're Welcome!!