Green Building Guide

As a builder, you have no doubt seen a shift in customer preferences. Home buyers today want to know more than the price of their dream home. They want to know how much it will cost to operate and what impact it will have on the environment. In short, they want greener building practices.
 
Most builders already incorporate efficiency features into their homes – ENERGY STAR® windows and appliances and fixtures that conserve water. Some are utilizing recycled materials. All of that represents a great start. But green building means working to minimize the environmental impact of a new structure at every step – land development, design, construction and operation.

The cleanest-burning fossil fuel, natural gas is a natural fit for green building and renovation projects. An abundant, domestically produced fuel, it has lower emissions and cleaner emissions than other energy choices that are readily available today. In fact, natural gas homes in Alabama produce 50 percent less carbon emissions than all-electric homes. So choosing natural gas can have an immediate positive environmental impact.

What's Driving Green Building? 

According to the U.S. Green Building Council these factors are accelerating the growth of green buildings:

• Unprecedented level of government initiatives
• Heightened residential demand for green construction
• Improvements in sustainable materials

To learn more about the guiding principles of green building and what you can do for your customers and our world see the following resources: NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines and the ANSI approved ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard .