A HERS® Index Score Can Help Sell Your Home!

We at Capital Home Builders have always built homes to a higher standard by using quality materials and labors. Our homes are not built like standard built homes in Thomasville and South Georgia. The approach to building a minimum code home is “how much can I really cut back on laborers, materials and building code. Capital Home Builders approach to building a quality high-performance homes is how can we build it better, stronger and more energy efficient, our RESNET number do not lie. 

If you’re selling your home and a potential buyer wants to know what its HERS Index Score is, can you tell them? Because chances are, this is a question that’s going to come up more and more often. That’s because the issue of home energy efficiency is on the rise and consumers are trying to cut back costs wherever they can – and that extends to buying a home.

Fact: the highest cost of homeownership outside of the home loan is energy.

For many years, consumers have been able to buy cars and appliances based on energy performance. While cars have MPG (miles-per-gallon) stickers and appliances have Energy Guide labels, for the longest time homebuyers had no way of knowing the potential energy costs of homes they were viewing. That meant sometimes choosing a home that ended up costing more than anticipated due to poor energy performance. The HERS Index Score changes that.

• The HERS Index was developed by RESNET and is the industry standard by which a home’s energy performance is measured.
• A HERS Index Score is the result of a comprehensive HERS rating, in which a certified RESNET HERS Rater assesses a home on its energy performance.

Fact: mortgage default risks are 32% lower on homes with low HERS Index Scores.

Why Should Homeowners Get a HERS Index Score?

A HERS Index Score tells you how your house compares to other similar homes for energy performance. The lower the score, the more energy efficient the home; the more energy efficient the home, the higher the potential resale value. The Earth Advantage Institute, a nonprofit based in Portland, Oregon, “found that newly constructed homes with third-party certifications for sustainability and energy efficiency sold for 8% more on average than non-certified homes in the six-county Portland metropolitan area. Existing houses with certifications sold for 30% more.” Their report, published in May 2009, confirms that energy efficient retrofits add value to homes, resulting in generally higher resale prices for sellers.

Fact: energy efficient homes save money, improve home comfort and enjoy higher resale values.

As a homeowner, you want to keep your energy costs under control and your home comfort levels high. The best way to achieve this is through energy efficient improvements. By making your home more energy efficient, not only do you save money and improve your home comfort, you also add value to your home. And that means a higher resale price when you sell, because homebuyers want energy efficient homes, and HERS Index scores tell them how energy efficient a home is.

Therefore, as a homeowner who is looking at their home as not just a place to live in but also as an investment, getting a HERS Index Score is the smart thing to do. After all, you know how energy efficient your car is – don’t you want to know about your home too?

http://www.resnet.us/library/index-score-can-help-sell-home/

EFFICIENT HOMES MAY BE MORE VALUABLE THAN OTHERS

We are the first and only builder building energy smart custom home builders. All of our homes are built above minimum code with high-end materials and quality laborers. We GUARANTEE that our homes are more energy efficient than any other new or existing home built in Thomasville, GA. 

You simply can't buy a  NEW HOME and get a better RATING then "GUARANTEED".

When insurance companies offer discounts for lower risk customers, you can bet it’s based on reliable evidence. Think lower car insurance rates for drivers with no speeding tickets, and discounted life insurance for non-smokers.

Genworth, the large private mortgage insurance firm spun-off from General Electric, now offers a discount for buyer of energy efficient houses.  (OK – Genworth implemented this policy in Canada — but reports suggest it’s coming to the US market….

Genworth is validating that the risk of loss to the mortgage lender is lower when the borrower is in a more energy efficient house.

Image via Blue Sky Building Systems

The policy makes a ton of sense.  Attributes of an energy efficient house — better air sealing, more insulation, high performance appliances — are attributes of a well-built house. These measures make a house more valuable. If the borrower gets into income trouble and can’t afford the mortgage payments, a more efficient house will likely hold its value better than a house built to lower standards.

And home value is a strong predictor of lender losses — if a borrower has home equity, default is rare because the house can be sold for more than the mortgage. For more on that, see this paper by economist John Campbell.

A more efficient house also means lower energy expenses, so the borrower might not get into income trouble in the first place. And, these lower expenses are one reason an efficient house is more valuable.

A funny thing about the mortgage market is that this kind of policy can be self-fulfilling. The fact that more energy efficient houses are more valuable is a basis for the Genworth policy to give a discount, but it’s also likely to be an outcome of the policy. That is, the discount on mortgage insurance should allow some borrowers to pay more for energy efficient houses and increase demand for those houses among homebuyers. This effect should remind lenders, investors, appraisers, and others how the current, conventional policy can be self-fulfilling in the opposite direction — loan policies that make it difficult for a borrower to borrow more to pay a premium for a more energy efficient house can inhibit the very evidence needed to support policy correction.

While most U.S. mortgage borrowers don’t get private mortgage insurance, the fact that Genworth has adopted this new policy should be a strong signal to lenders, investors, appraisers, and others to continually assess how the value of energy efficiency is reflected in the property value and the loan.

http://www.earthtechling.com/2013/12/efficient-homes-may-be-more-valuable-than-others/

“Green” Labeled Homes Worth More on the Real Estate Market, Study Says

Capital Home Builders are the first builders of green smart homes in South Georgia. It looks like the green building trend has not reached the South Georgia area. We think if Thomasville, Georgia can still live in the era of horse and carriage they would, but we are changing the way homes are being built in Thomasville and South Georgia by building better homes above minimum code. Green Homes are built above minimum code non-green homes are NOT.......

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles today released a new study on the economic value of green home labels in the California residential marketplace. “The Value of Green Labels in the California Housing Market” is the first rigorous, large-scale independent economic analysis of the value of green home labels in California. The study found that a green home label adds an average 9 percent price premium for single-family homes in California. Based on the average California home price of $400,000, homes with a green label sell for an average of $34,800 more than comparable homes without a green label.

In addition, the study yields two key insights into the effect of green labels on property values. First, the price premium associated with a green label varies considerably from region to region in California, and is highest in the areas with hotter climates. This trend may indicate that residents in these areas value green labels more due to the increased cost of keeping a home cool. Second, the premium is also positively correlated to the environmental ideology of the area, as measured by the rate of registration of hybrid vehicles. The observed correlation suggests that some homeowners attribute value to intangible qualities associated with owning a green home.

Led by researchers Nils Kok, visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and Matthew Kahn, professor at the Institute of the Environment, Department of Public Policy and Department of Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, the study examined data on the 1.6 million single-family homes sold between 2007 and 2012 in California. Of these homes, approximately 4,300 were certified with green home labels from Energy Star, GreenPoint Rated, or LEED for Homes.

“In certain regions of the state, we observed a phenomenon we’ve termed the ‘Prius effect’ — a positive correlation between the value of green home labels and environmental ideology, as measured by the rate of hybrid registrations,” said Kok. “In communities with strong environmental values, residents may see green homes as a point of pride or status symbol.”

The estimated $34,800 price premium for green-labeled homes is significantly greater than the price increase associated with other typical home improvements made by homeowners prior to sale, such as home staging. A 2012 survey by HomeGain found that staged homes sold for an average of $2,144 more than non-staged homes, while an upgrade of the kitchen and bathroom was found to increase the sale price by $3,254.

“Environmental ideology was not as strong in some other areas, and yet we still saw a high value placed on homes with a green label,” said Kok. “It appears that a hotter local climate also provides a practical reason to value green homes. With both ideological and pragmatic reasons to go green, it’s no surprise that the popularity of these labels is rising.”

The benefits of green homes include:

• Lower operational costs than conventional homes due to greater energy and water efficiency, which can result in lower utility bills;
• High quality construction, since green label requirements for building materials and techniques often go beyond standard building codes;
• More comfortable and stable indoor temperatures;
• Healthier indoor air quality; and
• Other features that reduce environmental impact such as proximity to parks, shops and transit.

“Increasingly, homeowners who are planning to sell their home are looking for innovative ways to make their home more attractive to potential buyers,” said Robin Gaskins, a realtor who has worked for 10 years in Alameda County. “Particularly if a home already has a number of green or energy-saving features, it really does pay to go the extra mile and get a green label.”

Growing awareness about global warming and the extent of greenhouse gas emissions from the residential sector has increased attention to green building in recent years. Previous research has shown the value of green labels and certifications in the commercial real estate sector. “The Value of Green Labels in the California Housing Market” confirms that the same trend applies to single-family homes.

“The Value of Green Labels in the California Housing Market” has been submitted for presentation at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association and will be submitted to a scientific journal in fall 2012.

http://www.arounddublinblog.com/2012/07/green-label-homes-worth-more-real-estate-market/

4 Things That Should Never Go Down The Drain

Keep your drain toxic free

A household drain can seem like a convenient way to get rid of unwanted liquid waste – we’ve all been tempted to flush away dirty mop water or to just dump cooking oil down the sink and be done with it. But have you ever stopped to think about where all that water goes once it leaves your sight? While it may seems safe – that water has to be treated eventually, right? – in fact a lot of what goes down your drains will eventually end up back in natural waterways and maybe even back at your own faucet someday. So to help keep your water clean (and your water treatment facilities running smoothly), here are four things you should never put down the drain.

1. Toxic chemicals like paint, cleaning products, oil, and solvents

Water treatment facilities can remove a lot of contaminants, but plenty of dangerous chemicals that go down your drain will still end up being dumped into our rivers, lakes, and oceans. Phosphates from detergents, chlorine from bleach, and the toxins in pesticides will all wreak havoc on fragile ecosystems once they leave your local sewage treatment plant. You wouldn’t throw paint, solvents, pesticides or other chemicals out in your yard, so why would you put them down the drain?

What to do instead: City waste centers will have drop-off areas for toxic chemicals. Some substances like paint and motor oil can be recycled, while non-recyclable liquids will be disposed of properly. You can also replace nasty, toxic cleaning supplies with eco-friendly cleaners made with enzymes, citrus, or oxygen.

2. Medications

We’ve all been stuck with expired or leftover medicine at some point. In fact, about a third of the medications sold in the U.S. never get taken. But you’ll want to avoid flushing those unused pills or liquids: much like other chemicals, medications you dump down the toilet will find their way into natural waterways. Studies have found everything from antibiotics to ibuprofen to antidepressants in drinking water supplies throughout the U.S.

What to do instead: Instead of flushing used pills look in your area for a medicine take-back program. While there is no national plan to collect unused medications, there are lots of local organizations that join together pharmacies, law enforcement, and hospitals to collect and responsibly dispose of everything from painkillers to blood pressure pills. If no programs are available in your area, mix pills with something unpalatable like kitty litter or coffee grounds to keep them from being accidentally ingested and include them with your regular trash.

3. Grease, fats, and oils

It can be tempting to just wash all that oil from the frying pan down the drain with the dishwater, but greases, oils, and fats from cooking will quickly cause all sorts of problems: when they solidify they can clog pipes and wreck not just your plumbing but also sewage treatment plants. Even worse, if it makes it out to the environment it can disrupt the natural balance of waterways (think of how oil floats on top of water in your sink) and interfere with plants, fish, and other wildlife.

What to do instead: It’s possible to compost fats and oils, but you’ll want to be very careful if you’re dumping them into a home compost bin. The smell can attract animals and too much grease can block access to oxygen, resulting in smelly, poor-quality compost. The best option is actually to recycle it: dirty kitchen grease can easily be turned into eco-friendly biofuel. Look in your area for companies or city programs that accept kitchen waste for recycling, then just stick a jar by your stove to collect cooking oil and drop it off when it’s full.

4. Paper towels, cotton balls, pre-moistened wipes, scrub pads, etc.

While toilet paper is made to break down in a sewer or septic tank, other paper products are designed to stand up to that sort of abuse. The same sturdiness that makes a paper towel perfect for cleaning up spills means that it’s likely to clog up pipes and increase the chance of sewer backups and overflows. So even though products like paper towels, baby wipes, and cotton swabs are biodegradable you’ll want to keep them out of your sewage system, even if they claim to be “flushable.”

What to do instead: Why not put all that paper to work? Paper products make a great source of carbon for home compost piles which means you’ll be keeping that waste out of landfills, too. Better yet, switch to cloth towels and other reusable products to cut out that trash altogether.

http://greenblog.greenhome.com/2012/04/17/4-things-that-should-never-go-down-the-drain/

8 Green Items Every Home Should Have

Greening your home can be a daunting process. With all the options out there for reducing waste, boosting efficiency, and getting rid of toxins, it can be hard to know where to start. To help you out, we’ve put together a list of the eight accessories we here at Greenhome think every eco-friendly home should have.

Non-Toxic Cleaning and Housekeeping

 

1. Green cleaning products

Those colorful bottles of soaps, detergents, and bleaches under your kitchen sink are hiding all sorts of toxic chemicals: solvents and degreasers release dangerous volatile organic compounds into the air while phosphates in detergents can wreak havoc on waterways once they go down the drain. To keep your home safe while you clean, look for natural cleaners that use citrus, enzymes, or oxygen instead of harsh chemicals.

2. An air filter

Did you know that the air inside your home can be 2 to 5 times as polluted as the air outdoors? Fumes from cleaning products and appliances along with allergens like pet dander and mold can become concentrated inside, especially when you’ve got the windows closed. To help clean the air in your home, invest in an air purifier with a HEPA filter and activated charcoal that will remove not only allergens but dangerous vapors and odors as well.

3. A water filter

While most of us are lucky enough to have easy access to treated water, there are still contaminants that make their way through water treatment systems and into our homes. Fortunately, dangerous elements like lead and chlorine as well as bacterial contaminants and other organic compounds can easily be filtered out at the tap. Look for a water filter system that uses both reverse osmosis and activated carbon for the safest possible water.

Compost Bins

 

4. A compost bin

Reducing waste is one of the most important goals of going green, and composting is an easy way cut down on your trash haul. All you need is a compost bin and some kitchen scraps to get started. If you don’t have access to outdoor space, look for smaller bins designed for indoors or find an industrial compost site in your area that accepts household waste.

5. Reusable containers

Another great way to decrease the amount of trash you produce is to invest in reusable containers. We’re all used to the convenience of being able to chuck out water bottles, plastic containers, shopping bags, and coffee cups, but with a little planning it’s easy to replace all that garbage with eco-friendly, reusable options.

Energy Efficient Lighting

 

6. Green lighting

Efficient light bulbs aren’t just a good investment for the environment – they can also help reduce your home electric bill. Because it uses 75% less energy than a standard bulb, a single compact fluorescent bulb can save you up to $40 over its lifetime. The initial cost for LED lights, CFLs, and other high-efficiency light bulbs will be offset by the energy you save.

7. A programmable thermostat

Home heating and cooling account for about half of the average electric bill, which makes your air conditioner or furnace the best place to start when you want to reduce your home energy use. One of the easiest ways to make your home more energy efficient is to install a programmable thermostat that will automatically adjust the temperature when you’re home, away, or asleep.

Eco-Friendly Water Filters

 

8. Low flow plumbing fixtures

Conserving water is easy when you have low flow fixtures. While most showerheads will have a rate of 2.5 gallons a minute or more, low flow options can go as low as 1.5 without sacrificing water pressure. A family of four can save hundreds of gallons a month!

http://greenblog.greenhome.com/2012/04/02/8-green-items-every-home-should-have/

Conserving Resources

The Earth gets more and more crowded every day. In 2011, the world’s population reached 7 billion, and there’s no sign we’ll be letting up any time soon. Such a huge number of people is bound to put a strain on the environment since, at the end of the day, all of our resources – from the water we drink to the food we eat to the gas we put in our cars – has to be taken from the natural systems around us. So Green Home wants to help you focus on using less, not just to conserve the things we need, but also to minimize the damage we do the environment we all share.

Did you know?

Gard'n Gro Filter

• The U.S. is the world’s second largest energy consumer; only China uses more.
• Recycling a ton of mixed paper saves the energy equivalent of 165 gallons of gasoline.
• 37% of U.S. energy comes from petroleum, 25% from natural gas, 21% from coal, and 9% from nuclear plants. Only 8% comes from renewable sources like hydroelectric dams, solar, and wind farms.
• Transportation accounts for 28% of all energy used in the U.S.
• The average American uses 176 gallons of water a day.

Bagasse Tree Free Dinner Napkins

• 30% of water used in homes goes onto lawns and gardens.
• The amount of energy in the sunlight that hits the earth in a hour could power the whole planet for a year.
• One ton of paper requires 250 cubic feet of wood, 55,000 gallons of water, and 112 kWh of energy to produce.
• A compact fluorescent light bulb produces five times as much light per watt as an incandescent bulb.
• It takes 30% less energy to make a product from recycled glass than from new materials.

5 Easy Ways to Conserve Resources Every Day

1. Dial back the thermostat – every 1° change will reduce your home energy use by 1%.

2. Switch out your lights – compact fluorescent light bulbs use less energy and last longer than other bulbs.

3. Be smart with printer paper – get the most out of your office supplies by only printing when you need to and by using both sides of the paper

4. Turn off the water – never leave water running when you’re brushing your teeth, soaping your hands, or scrubbing the dishes.

5. Use those leftovers – find creative ways to turn leftovers into tasty meals so you never have to throw away food.

http://greenblog.greenhome.com/2012/04/11/conserving-resources/

A How-to For Recycling

Recycle!

Recycling is an important part of any green home or business, but the sheer number of products and materials that pass through our hands every day can make it seem like a daunting task. Programs differ from state to state, from city to city, and sometime even from block to block, so how can you know where to start in your neck of the woods? To help you out, we’ve put together all the things you need to know to start recycling: from paper plates to aluminum cans to soda bottles, this is your guide to recycling right.

What can I recycle?

Recycling centers will be set up to handle different kinds of waste, so the most important thing you can do to make sure you’re handling your household or business trash efficiently is to learn what’s recyclable in your area. It’ll be easiest to start with the most commonly recycled materials: most curbside pickup programs and drop-off centers will accept the big five – paper, glass, plastic, aluminum, and steel – although there is a lot of variation within these categories.

Paper: Almost all recycling programs accept basic paper products like newspapers, junk mail, cardboard, magazines, and computer paper. A couple of things to keep in mind about paper recycling: whole paper is easier to recycle, so avoid shredding or tearing paper when you can. Also be careful with juice boxes and milk cartons, which are not accepted in most local programs, and try to avoid putting in products like pizza boxes or sandwich wrappers that are contaminated with food: the oil can ruin a whole batch of recycled paper (you can compost this waste instead).

Glass: Glass is one of the most easily recycled materials, but not all glass is made the same. Curbside and drop-off programs will most likely accept clear, brown, and green container glass, but you shouldn’t put in glass from windows, glassware, or cooking dishes – these products usually include additives that will disrupt the recycling process later on.

Plastic: Because there are so many different types of plastic it can be one of the most difficult materials to recycle. Check with your local program to see what types of plastics they accept and learn to spot the resin identification number on plastic products (the #1-7 surrounded by three arrows). Almost all facilities will accept plastics marked #1 – 3 while larger programs will sometimes accept all seven. If you buy compostable plastics like PLA make sure they stay out of the recycling stream.

Aluminum: Like glass, aluminum can easily be recycled again and again. Almost all programs will accept cans, but you should check with your local centers to see if they take other items like foil.

Steel: Steel cans – used for everything from coffee to pet food – are accepted at most local programs.

Where should I take my recycling?

Again, this will depend on where you live. Check in your area to see if home pickup if offered. If so, all you’ll have to do is make sure you have an approved bin to set out on the curb (and if not, you should lobby your city to start one – cities with curbside programs have higher recycling rates than those without). If your city uses drop-off locations you’ll need to collect your recyclables at home, then bring them to a community facility.

How do I to sort my recycling?

Whether or not you sort your recycling will depend on the type of program in your area. Many curbside pickup programs are what is known as single-stream recycling, which means you can put all your materials in one bin and they’ll be sorted back at a processing facility. As you can imagine, this method generally leads to high recycling rates since it’s easier for consumers, but mixing everything together can create its own set of problems. In particular, paper can be made unrecyclable by food contaminants, which is why some programs will use a duel-stream collection system which includes a separate bin for paper. Many drop-off centers, though, will require you to sort your recyclables, usually into easy categories like paper, plastic, clear and brown glass, aluminum, and cardboard. If you’re sorting your own recycling it’s very important to make sure you follow the directions at your local drop-off site: mixing materials or putting in non-recyclable items can damage equipment or destroy an entire batch of recycling.

Should I rinse my recyclables?

Giving your glass, metal, and plastics a quick rinse before they go in the bin will help make the recycling process efficient and easier down the line and will also help keep your bin from getting sticky and stinky. If you mix all your recyclables together, you should rinse food containers carefully to prevent waste from getting on paper products.

What about the rest of my garbage?

Once you start recycling you’ll no doubt notice all kinds of other waste you’ll be reluctant to toss in the garbage. You can take your recycling to the next level by looking in your area for ways to dispose of hard-to-recycle stuff like batteries, appliances, plastic bags, and packing foams. And always keep in mind that every item you keep out of the trash is helping to reduce pollution, conserve resources, and save energy.

http://greenblog.greenhome.com/2012/04/09/a-how-to-for-recycling/