Your Pathway to a Healthier, More Energy Efficient Home

Deciding to make “green” upgrades to your home is a personal decision. Whether it’s concern for the environment, saving money on utility bills, or creating a healthier living space for our families, we all have different priorities when it comes to choosing more sustainable options. But knowing where to start is a different matter. A home remodel is already a very overwhelming process without having to worry about the carbon footprint of the products you choose, or how to maximize energy and water efficiency. Just as you might hire an interior decorator, or a landscape designer to help you identify the best options for your tastes and budget, you might consider hiring a GreenPoint Rater to help you navigate the choices involved in adding Green elements to your home. 

Growing consumer demand for healthier, Greener products that aren’t much more expensive than their conventional counterparts 

has resulted in a greater range of choices. But more isn’t always better. How do you know which ones are really Green and which ones are just jumping on the sustainability bandwagon? Many of the products have certification labels, but with over 400 Green consumer labels currently on the market, it can still be confusing. Do you choose FSC or SFI Certified wood products? Indoor Advantage or Green Guard? Green Seal or EcoLogo? And that’s just products. How do you decide which energy efficiency improvements to tackle first? Do you install solar panels, or is it more economical to seal leaks and add better insulation? What about your windows—should they be exchanged first? Or is that even necessary? Do you opt for a tankless water heater? A solar hot water heater? Or maybe the “hot water on demand” system is the best choice for your needs. Depending on the vintage and location of your home, your priorities, and your budget, what makes your home Green can take many different forms.

Hiring a GreenPoint Rater to help with your Green remodel can take the guesswork out of a lot of these decisions. Whether you are undergoing a whole house remodel, or just tackling one room, the Rater will work with you to make the greatest impact in the areas most important to you. Working off the GreenPoint Rated checklist, which allots points in five categories (Community, Energy, Indoor Air Quality, Resource Efficiency, and Water), the Rater will help you assess which Green building measures are best suited to your needs and budget, 

and will help you navigate the product choices.  

While the program is primarily concerned with the economy, comfort and health of your home, having the GreenPoint Rated label can also add re-sale value to your house. A study in the Seattle region recently found that homes with “environmental ratings” sold quicker and for more money than homes without a rating. This summer, the San Francisco MLS (Multiple Listing Service) became the first regional MLS in California to add GreenPoint Rated and other Green ratings as a search criterion. As homebuyers become increasingly concerned with energy efficiency and indoor air quality, the GreenPoint Rated label might give your house the edge it needs in the marketplace.

The GreenPoint Rated program is an impartial, third-party verified rating system administered by Build It Green, a non-profit organization in Berkeley that promotes the advancement of Green building practices throughout California. By assigning a point value to each improvement you make, the program serves as a pathway to a more resource-efficient, healthier and environmentally friendly home.  

Annette Hartsfield is a Build It Green Program Associate and Grant Writer. For more information on the GreenPoint Rated Existing Home program, and to locate a GreenPoint Rater, please visit http://www.builditgreen.org/greenpoint-rated.