GREEN BUILDING

  • USGBC Member

WE ARE GREEN!

Building homes has given us the opportunity to make a difference in areas that are important to us.  One such area is the environment.

Residential energy use accounts for about 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Obviously, if we can reduce the amount of energy our homes use, we can in turn reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere.

Following are some of the key ways that we reduce energy consumption in our homes:

  • Tighter Thermal Envelopes With Air Sealing and Efficient Windows
  • Intelligently Designed, Highly Efficient HVAC
  • Advanced Framing Techniques
  • Superior Insulation
  • Third Party Testing and Verification

WHY BUILD GREEN?

Whether you believe climate change is real, or whether you believe it is caused by human activity, green building offers the following benefits:

  • Lower energy costs.  This is the “green” in green building.  Our new homes typically use half the energy of a home built “to code.”  Less energy equates to cost savings month in and month out.  One of our favorite quotes from a customer is “our utility bills are so low, sometimes we think they’re wrong.”
  • Healthier homes.  Green building isn’t just about saving energy.  Green building also improves the air quality in your home.  And guess what? Humans spend most of their time inside their homes, so indoor air quality is very important.
  • A longer lasting home.  The greenest home ultimately is one that lasts 100+ years instead of needing to be torn down after 40 or 50 years.  Properly maintained, one of our homes should easily last for 100 years if not longer.

FAQs

  • What is green building?

    Green building, also known as sustainable building or eco-friendly building, emphasizes minimizing the environmental impact of buildings while promoting the health and well-being of their occupants.

  • How much extra does green building cost?

    Honestly, we stopped trying to figure out the answer to this question.  It’s kind of like asking “how much extra does it cost to be healthy?”  How much does it cost to be unhealthy? Does a high quality, highly efficient window cost more than a cheap single pane vinyl window? Do highly efficient HVAC systems cost more than the cheapest alternative?  Up front, of course they do.  But what is the cost of utility bills that are double what they need to be? Indoor air quality that isn’t what it should be? The cost of having to drive everywhere because you didn’t build in a walkable location?  I could go on, but I think you get the answer.

  • How do I know my home is green?

    Don’t take our word for it.  All of our new homes are Energy Star certified, and we offer the option of LEED certification.  Both programs rely upon 3rd party inspectors and verification processes to ensure your home is energy and water efficient, and in the case of the LEED program this independent verification ensures compliance with the rigorous standards of the LEED program.

    Each of our new (and significantly renovated) homes receives a HERS rating, which is an indication of how efficient the home is relative to a home that is built to code.  Our homes typically have HERS ratings in the 50s, which means they use about half the energy of a home built to code.  We’ve had non-solar homes achieve HERS ratings of 39, meaning they use 39% of the energy of a to code home.  Our houses with solar panels are almost net zero homes, meaning they use no energy apart from that provided by the sun.

© Copyright John Marshall Custom Homes, Inc.