MSNBC Article on Green Housing Standards and Costs

I saw this great article on MSNBC today titled "Want a Green House? Prepare to be Confused." It talks about the various competing standards under development to define what makes a house "green," as well as the costs and benefits of building more efficient homes. It's a good snapshot of how the housing market is starting to transition.

Here's a couple of excerpts:

"But how do you tell if a “green” home is truly green? It depends on whom you ask. There are some 80 different local and state green building organizations and at least two different national groups promoting their own rules on what constitutes a green home. The result: a contentious war over whose rules become the national standard for making a house sustainable. It also means more confusion for homebuyers."

"Homebuyers typically pay 3 to 5 percent more for a “green” home, or about $10,000 extra on $300,000 home. But advocates say the extra costs quickly pay for themselves in savings on water and power."

"It can be hard to show consumers those kinds of benefits in advance, said John Keith, president of Harvard Communities, which is building 40 green homes this year, most of them on the site of Denver’s former Stapleton Airport.

Much of what makes Harvard Communities' homes green is decidedly unsexy, Keith said, because most of the features are not visible to consumers. Buyers want to talk about granite countertops, not how Harvard uses less wood in framing for better insulation or how contractors are coached on how to better seal windows so air doesn’t escape the house. To pique buyers’ interest, Harvard started including a 2.8-kilowatt rooftop solar system as a standard feature on the homes. “It’s hard to get people excited,” Keith said."

There's a page that summarizes the major competing green standards from the U.S. Green Building Council and the National Association of Home Builders. Another link goes to an article that shares traditional but very effective design strategies for reducing a homes energy consumption and impact on the earth.

I think the active debate, and the serious attention from builders, is a good sign that green has finally really come to housing. Good article, so take a look.