LEED me to answers for Green Living
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of green homes. LEED offers a measure of green building features. In Austin, credits are given for building green. Outside Austin, in Travis County, that is not the case. A circumstance that needs to be changed. We need to challenge our County Commissioner to work toward similar incentives for those who live outside the city limits.
If you build or buy a house that is LEED rated, that house inherently has greater value than a house built with traditional methods and materials. Green has become a household word. Often, there are trends: media rooms, Tuscan, for example. Green is no trend. Green is the wave of the future. As is always the case, there are leaders of a movement. There is resistance, then more information is available. Gradually, awareness breeds understanding. Soon, the general public is on the bandwagon. That is the case with green built homes.
What does all of that mean? On average, people change houses after 7 years. Just imagine 7 years from now. How popular do you think green homes will be? Or, what if you are trying to sell a non-green house? A challenge. That prediction should be taken seriously when you buy or build your next home.
If you have a house that does not meet green standards, do not despair. Start to educate yourself. Some lenders have already created loans to fund "greening" your home. You can have an energy audit by a professional who will rate your house and recommend improvements.
We are about to experience a significant shift in how houses are built and valued. There is a lot to learn. As is always the case, there will be those who have empty offers, hoping to capitalize without offering true value. If someone says it is green, ask how that has been determined. We learned this at the grocerty store, when everything was labeled "nonfat" or "natural." There are many builders and vendors who have made a committment to shifting their businesses to provide the product that, soon, will be demanded.
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