Consumers, not just speaking of those interested in Real Estate, are demanding more.  We are getting to the point where we are demanding a better product.  One that will last longer, one that will have less maintenance, products that are….Green?  Products that promote less waste in the landfill, overall efficiency, and so on?

We read Consumer Reports and have for many years now to find out what product will give us the biggest bang for our buck.  We take in to consideration products that we buy and how long they will last.  We are getting tired of those that are essentially disposable, one that we will have to ‘throw away’ or Redo within a few years.  It seems more than before with large purchases we are stepping away from the Clearance Racks so to speak- or the ‘irregulars’.

Where used to we would get the instant Gratification of buying a product Dirt Cheap.  The example I used yesterday was a pair of jeans on the Clearance for $10.  One leg is about an inch shorter than the other, but if we wear the right shoes, no one will likely notice…until we wear them a couple of times to find that although they were cheap, that was a poor investment.  They really are uncomfortable and no matter what shoes I wear it is evident.  So, we then go out and buy another pair for $40 that we can wear for a significantly longer time period.  Well, that $40 pair of jeans just cost you $50 when you think about it.

Same thing goes with homes but the cost  is quite a bit higher.  For this next example I will use apples to apples.  New Construction vs. New Construction.

2 Homes are about the same size.  One costs $300,000 and the other costs $250,000.  Both have Granite Countertops and heck, the cheaper one may even have other features that you like better!  But let’s look at the Quality of Construction and the lifetime cost of the home.  Is it really apples to apples?  Likely it is not. The cheaper one may very well be that pair of jeans with one leg shorter than the other.  You can buy it today for less money, and have an electric bill that is $200 more per month, or the design of the home may cause wood to rot out or promote mildew growth.  The carpet is a lower grade, the roof is only a 15 year shingle vs. a 30 year- the possibilities are truly endless.

What am I getting at?  Just like the jeans that ended up costing you $10 more, the home over the lifetime of you living there may cost you a considerable amount of money more in the end.

As we step away from the Clearance Racks, how do we advertise these differences? Where stone floors, Granite Countertops and even Stainless Steel appliances give a home that sexy advertising kick that some people are looking for, there is nothing really sexy about Caulking Floor Joists to promote energy efficiency or having premium Ventilation in the home so you don’t sneeze as much or get dirty carpets at bedroom doors from air being sucked underneath it.

“You won’t sneeze or have to dust as much in this home!” is not anything that I expect to see in any advertisement any time soon.

So what ARE we going to see?  Just 5 years ago even having a Radiant Barrier on a home was considered to be too expensive, now it is too expensive to NOT have it!  Are we going to start seeing Builders and Homeowners post Energy Ratings to prove the difference?

How about a home with Solar Backup advertised with “I had Electricity during Ike!”

We are in a time of amazing change.  Personally I think we are going to see huge changes in the way homes are advertised- Both New Construction and Resale.  Will people start demanding Certifications on homes whether it be LEED, Environments for Living or NAHB Green?  Consumers have demanded over the past 5 years or so more and more Energy Star Logos on various products.

Just as cars have a miles per gallon sticker and energy star products have an annual usage tag, maybe homes should have something similar?  There are many people out there that think this is a good idea.  Will it happen in the next year or even two?  Probably not.

Where am I going with this?  The Construction industry is changing every day.   The term ‘Green’ in ‘Green Building’ seems to become a little more normal and even expected by the day whether that be through Efficiency or Total Lifetime Cost through maintenance.

If you are really looking in to stepping away from the Clearance Rack with your next home and buying one that is Durable, Efficient and all that Jazz- take a look at the Details- the ‘fine print’ so to speak.   Weigh your options.  Is that home you are thinking about buying going to cost you more in the long run?  Is it maybe just Greenwashed – i.e. more talk than action? – Will it REALLY perform the way you want it to?

If you are selling an existing home with Green, Energy Efficient, Maintenance upgrades- Now more than ever it is important to have a Real Estate Agent that can actually portray that in Advertising so it doesn’t end up on the ‘Irregular’ rack by accident.

It’s all just food for thought.  It will be interesting to see what ’09 has in store for us.

In Houston, the two programs that are getting a lot of Buzz and being asked about is Energy Star and Environments for Living.  Energy Star has done an amazing job branding itself as Energy Efficient.  The Energy Star logo is now a common sight on products that use Electricity as well as more and more builders hopping in to use the program.

When it comes to homes, Energy Star primarily focuses on how much Energy the products in the home use.  For example, the Dishwasher, lights, ceiling fans, hot water heater, etc.  An Energy Star home uses Energy Star rated products.  It is important to remember that Energy Star does not focus as much on the Envelope of the home.  Absolutely I agree that as many products as possible in the home should have the Energy Star logo- but this is where Environments for Living hopped in to bridge the gap.

Environments for Living is a program that appears to be growing with Light speed in the Houston area, but what does it mean?

The two main differences if you take a look at the Websites for the two >>ES<< and >>EFL<< are this:

• Energy Star: “at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC)
• EFL: “seeking to achieve energy efficiency 50 percent above 2006 IECC“

EFL takes Energy Star as a basic minimum standard.  There is a minimum requirement for products in the home that have to bear the Energy Star Logo…and then builds on top of that, so at the same time they focus somewhat on different features of the home.

In both programs, you will find a focus on Air Infiltration meaning the home will not ‘leak’ as much air in or out depending on your climate but their end goal for energy usage are using different Codes with different requirements.

As Craig Lobel with EcoEdge Consulting puts it:

EFL energy models the actual floor plan and then makes recommendations on R-Values, SEER and AFUE.   I think it’s important to remember that floor to ceiling, wall to window, and wall partitioning differ from each home.  Their energy modeling process also gives the annual electricity and natural gas BTU usage for the home.  Also keep in mind, EFL backs their program up with a 3 year comfort and energy usage guarantee and geared towards being 50% more efficient on Heating and Cooling over a code built home in a given region.

Another part of the Thermal Envelope are the windows- how they are sealed and the minimum requirement for Solar Heat Gain.  Air Ducts in the attic must have a minimum R-Value, holes in the homes sheathing must be sealed to not only help with Air Infiltration but moisture management which is a HOT topic in Gulf Coast Regions such as Houston

If you get up in to a higher rating of EFL, the home also focuses on Water Efficiency and other GREEN features.

Both Energy Star and Environments for Living are great programs, they just focus on different things in the end.  Which one should a Homebuyer consider?  Well, that depends on what your needs and wants are…maybe even what price range you are in.

Check out the links that I have placed throughout this post and it may help to explain more in detail the difference between the two.  In my opinion, EFL focuses more on the envelope and the home as a system than Energy Star and should have a tighter blower door test rating in the end…if your focus is Energy Efficiency.

Feng Shui is an ancient system of aligning a home’s design with the invisible life force known as Chi.  It was practiced in China for over 3,000 -5,000 years, before the Communist regime made it illegal.  It is a tool, that homeowners in America and all over the world are discovering as a way to improve their lives.  In Feng Shui, a home can be divided into nine life areas.  These include our Work, Relationships, Family, Health, Money, Service, Children, Knowledge, and Fame.  When people begin to discover that taking control of their lives means taking control of their surroundings, they are going to need options that include Feng Shui and Green building. 

Much emphasis has been made recently among builders to incorporate Green building into their home designs.  In fact, I suspect that pretty soon, it will be difficult to sell a new home that has not been designed with some level of Green building.  However, if a home is built with attention to the “Green” details, but ignores the importance of Feng Shui principles, there will be an overall lack of design harmony and this can lead to all sorts of problems.   

You may be asking yourself why “harmony” and balance are so important.  These are two words that start to sound pretty generic unless we add some real life examples to your understanding.  We have to take a step back and consider the impact of how a place makes us “feel” when we enter it.  This is essentially what Feng Shui is about.  Does it feel inviting, peaceful and pleasant or does it make you feel like your brain is being scrambled?  How could your financial success be impacted by one versus the other?  How about your love life or even your health?  If you think that these things are immune to the design of your surroundings, think again. 

How does a newly married couple with no debt experience a home that is missing two life areas that relate to money and love?  Two failed businesses and a divorce in less than six years might sound coincidental unless you recognize the impact of the home’s design flaws.  Even though the house was built with the highest attention to energy saving that was available at the time, it was not enough to save the businesses or the marriage of the couple.  My point is that building Green and not fusing it with Feng Shui principles is a mistake.  Divorce and business loss may be on the rise, but the marriage between Green building and Feng Shui is one that is poised to stand the test of time.

For more information about Logynn and building homes using Feng Shui and Green building, go to www.greenfusionfengshui.com or call her directly at 281-235-2382.

The are different levels for this program and David Weekley is building to the highest one offered.  This highest level also places a considerable amount of interest on Water Conservation.

Environments for Living is a Green Program designed by GE. The Top Tiers are Certified Green.  It focuses on Energy Efficiency, Water Efficiency and Healthier Products used during construction such as Formaldehyde Free Insulation.  All EFL homes exceed Energy Star Requirements.

The Environments for Living program focuses on a Tighter Envelope to make the home more efficient.  With a more efficient HVAC system, higher R-Values and the tighter envelope, they now put a guarantee on what your Electric Bills should be.

Although there are different levels for EFL Homes, here is what David Weekely is offering as part of their package:

• 15 SEER HVAC
• 95% Efficiency and Humidity Control
• VINYL Low E Double Pane Windows
• Radiant Barrier
• R-38 in the attic  (woah!)
• R-15 Walls as opposed to R-13
• Fresh Air Intake
• 3rd Party Verification on all homes
• Draft Elimination
• Among many others

Statistically, EFL homes at the Diamond Level are up to 50% more energy efficient than homes built to code in 2004 according to David Weekley.

Wanting to know what Communities you can Go Green With David Weekley in Houston? I would be more than happy to send you a list of Developments and Inventory if you wish.