Have you always dreamed of having an energy-efficient home that will last you a lifetime? At Green Square, our mission is to build the highest performance home we can, regardless of the price point. We incorporate environmentally friendly building practices into every facet of our construction and our staff are industry professionals who provide our clients with reliable information and guidance at every step of the building process. Our owner, Jeffrey Morgan, and our Design Manager, Josh Pfendler, have completed training to become Certified Green Professionals (CGP) through the National Association of Home Builders. 

Green Square is also capable of getting your high-performance home certified. We can work with several programs, such as Energy Star, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the National Green Building Standard (NGBS). These organizations require independent testing and will rate your new home to see if it is up to their efficiency standards. Green Square has achieved LEED Platinum, one of the highest independent ratings you can get, multiple times on our homes. Interested in learning more? Here are five simple ways to make your home a little greener.

ADVANCED FRAMING

When it comes to having an environmentally friendly home, one of the best ways to begin is by making the framework of the home itself efficient. We use a style of building framing called Advanced Framing. When building a house this way, the builder uses the least amount of wood possible to achieve the structural requirements necessary. This can save money on lumber, but even more importantly, it leaves more room in the walls for more insulation and reduces thermal bridging. Advanced framing will make your home more efficient, quiet, comfortable and will also save you money on your utility bills after you move in!

INSULATION

At Green Square, we try to avoid using standard fiberglass batt insulation in our homes, as it’s one of the least effective types of insulation on the market today. There are better options at all price points, including Sprayed-In-Place Cellulose, B.I.B.S. (Blow In Blanket System), open and closed cell foam, rigid foam and more. We strive to be experts on all different types of insulation because it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to increase the efficiency and performance of your home. 

One unique type of insulation we often use is called Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs). ICFs absorb and retain heat while reducing air infiltration and are a great way to keep your home insulated, especially in the basement. Their high thermal mass also creates a very durable and quiet home. If you are looking for an energy efficient, tornado proof home, ICFs are the way to go!

ENERGY-EFFICIENT EQUIPMENT

One of the best ways to make your home more efficient is by installing energy-efficient equipment and appliances. Your furnace is an important choice, as it can consume  the majority of your home’s energy, but we go deeper than that. Many people know to look for Energy Star or High Efficiency appliances, but what about your faucets, shower fixtures, water heater, even your lightbulbs? There are high performance options for all those things and more!  Working with a team like Green Square who understands the big picture of home efficiency and performance is critical when you’re selecting these items.

SMART HOMES

Each Green Square home can be preinstalled with smart home systems that help monitor your lighting, energy usage, temperature and more. These systems can turn the lights off even if you are out of the house and ensure that the air conditioning stays off until you begin your trip home from a hard day’s work. Smart home systems can help you use less energy and keep utility costs down.

Green Square homes are also available with electric vehicle (EV) charging options. This is a great addition if you have an electric car, or if you’re thinking about switching over within the next few years, we can make your home “EV ready”.

SOLAR ENERGY

Installing solar panels is a great way to take advantage of an abundant, natural source of energy. In recent years solar panels have come down in price and gone up in efficiency, making them a much more cost-effective solution.  However, adding solar to your home is best done thoughtfully from the beginning. We design our homes to take maximum advantage of the sun exposure, and even if we don’t install the panels during construction, we can make your home “solar ready” by installing the necessary wiring in the walls so that it can be added easily later. 

Green Square can also install battery backup systems such as the Tesla Power wall that are charged by solar panels or the power grid, so that you’ll have free electricity when you need it. These can also provide backup power during an outage from severe weather. 

This list is a great starting point for going green and creating an energy-efficient, high-performance home, but having an expert walk you through the building process step-by-step can save you time and money. The Green Square team will make sure that your green dream home becomes reality! Contact us at greensquareinc.com/contact to learn more.