Homes use more energy and produce greater greenhouse gases than vehicles. Even in the 21st Century, most homes are still built and operated in ways that cause high utility bills and unhealthy air pollution (outdoors from power plants & indoors from poor ventilation and unhealthy construction materials). Inefficient design and building practices waste forests and other resources and fill sprawling landfills. Wasteful plumbing, and using half our treated water on our yards, promote man-made water supply reservoirs that destroy our natural heritage and wildlife habitat. Homes built poorly or with non-durable materials waste money and time for maintenance and shorten homes' useful life.

Fortunately, just as consumers seek information to make shrewd decisions on how they buy and operate vehicles, homeowners are beginning to crave resources to help them choose and operate homes that soften their impact on people, planet, and pocketbook.

"Green Building" is a systems approach to constructing attractive, higher-performance, lower-impact homes. There is no universal definition, but green built homes strive to be  better in several ways:

• energy efficient with lower utility bills and less air pollution
• healthier, safer indoor air quality
• comfortable and quiet
• lower maintenance and more durable
• water efficient, resource efficient
• improved resale value.

Ten years from now, what we call green building today will simply be called building. This market transformation is arriving not a moment too soon, since annually several hundred thousand (consuming, polluting) single family homes are built, not to mention additional multi-family residences. As green building goes mainstream, there is a great opportunity to significantly reduce our energy usage, since half the U.S. homes standing in 2030 will have been built since 2000.

Among the main categories, associated elements, and underlying rationales appropriate for this climate are:

• Site Management - tree protection, jobsite and construction waste recycling
• Water Efficiency - drought-tolerant landscaping and turf; hot water on-demand system or water heater within 30 ft. of fixtures [to reduce water waste by using technologies that provide hot water at the tap with minimal wait time]
• Indoor Air Quality - right-sized [NOT oversized!] air conditioning system [more energy efficient operation, lower installation cost, more effective dehumidification and pest control, and better air filtration]; no vapor barrier [such as vinyl wallpaper] on inside of exterior walls [so that moisture in wall interior can dry and avoid mold]; continuous drainage plane on exterior walls behind cladding material and proper flashing at windows and doors [to protect building envelope from water intrusion and potential structural damage, pest problems, mold]; avoid attached garage or isolate garage from living space with appropriate sealing techniques [to prevent car exhaust and other fumes from entering living space]
• Energy Efficiency - Energy Star Certified; minimized sun on east-west windows; Energy Star appliances; radiant barrier, light-colored or insulated roof deck
• Materials [Efficiency] - engineered lumber products including trusses and finger-jointed dimensional lumber; minimum 25-year warranty exterior cladding; gutter extensions and positive drainage away from house [to protect foundation and cladding]; advanced framing techniques [that reduce amount of materials used while maintaining structural integrity, saving 3-5% of framing cost and lowering energy cost 2-5% per year by replacing excess wood with more insulation]
• Homeowner Education - operations and maintenance kit; information on recycling, green energy service providers, and Energy Star.

The National and Madison Area Home Builders Associations provide green building education and marketing for builders, as well as guidelines to help mainstream home building consumers voluntarily incorporate environmental considerations into every phase of the home building process. The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) has inspired and guided thousands of cutting-edge-green commercial buildings since 1998. LEED's hallmark is independent third-party verification of construction elements. LEED for Homes recognizes new homes performing in the top 25% in resource efficiency and environmental stewardship.

You might assume that ALL homes are built with the above common-sense elements, but you'd be very wrong. And price is not an indicator of green-built quality. If you're considering a builder who doesn't know or practice the above elements, I suggest that you find one who does. I also suggest that you insist that your builder adopt at least the following common-sense, cost-effective measures:

• Design the building envelope (air barrier and insulation) and air conditioning/heating system so that all ducts and air handling equipment are in the conditioned space (so your central AC system is not guzzling energy trying to make ice cream in a 140-degree solar-oven attic in August!).
• Keep plumbing out of exterior walls where pipes can freeze, break, leak, and cause water damage and mold.
• Design at least a 2-ft. roof overhang or vegetation shading to minimize unwanted heat gain from sun on windows from May-Sept.

Design Shelters, LLC

Degnan Design Builders, Inc.

Yahara Builders, Inc.

Holley-Schink Design Builders, LLC

Veridian Homes, LLC

Loren Imhoff Homebuilder, Inc.

Midwest Homes, Inc.

NorthPointe Construction, Inc.

Norwood Custom Homes, Inc.

Shaw Building & Design, Inc.

Silver Stone Construction, Inc.

Simon Builders, Inc., Michael F.

Western Designs, Inc.

TimberLane Builders, LLC