Winter is here and everyones heating bill is on the rise!

However! All is not lost! Read our post on how to winterize your home to save money on your heating bill for a few energy and money saving tips!

The long term solution to energy efficiency and making those savings stretch is through greener real estate. We have written many times about green real estate since the term first started becoming popular, however the initial uptake by developers was slow and those homes were priced slightly higher than regular properties. Now there are more and more developments and a general trend in the real estate industry to get rid of the “Green Real Estate” term and in so doing, making all real estate “green”.

We even have examples of green homes locally here to Ann Arbor – See our post “Examples of Green Ann Arbor Real Estate Building in Washtenaw County”

The figures are shocking and show how the push for greener real estate is needed and how is can help boost the economy. In fact according to a new study from the U.S. Green Building Council and Booz Allen Hamilton, construction in the green-building industry will support 7.9 million jobs over the next four years while pumping into the American economy $554 billion. Currently, 2 million American jobs are supported by the same industry and more than $100 billion in gross domestic product and wages is generated. From 2000 to 2008, $178 billion in gross domestic product was contributed to the economy and 2.4 million direct/indirect and induced jobs were created or saved which generated $123 billion in wages.

With buildings in the United States being responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, 13% water consumption and 15% of Gross Domestic Product per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity to start to reduce those figures now and save some money in the process.

Even the National Association of Realtors went green with their headquarters in DC!

Also as homeowners of green property would understand, their homes are more desirable for having these green features already incorporated which can lead to a higher sales price when it comes to selling!

Click here to search Ann Arbor Real Estate using our complimentary Ann Arbor Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Kathy Toth and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Ann Arbor Real Estate needs.

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Keller Williams Realty

Designing Green in Ann Arbor Real Estate

What does it mean to be “green”? The issues of energy conservation, alternative energies, nontoxic materials and sustainable design are at the center of the “green” building movement.  Why should we care? The statistics for waste, pollution, and energy consumption of our built environment are obvious and undeniable. The premise is simple; we must try to save our planet, if not for ourselves, for the sake of future generations.  Scientists throughout the world have made it clear that we can no longer ignore pollution and the depletion of our natural resources.  15-20% of all U.S. energy consumption is from the residential sector and 17% of all U.S. solid waste is from residential construction and demolition debris.  Over the next twenty years if left unchecked the total U.S. annual energy consumption will increase by 37% and the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions will increase 36%.  We must act now or potentially suffer dire consequences in the near future. Our children, and our children’s’ children depend on us to do the right thing.

What is the right thing to do? Quite simply we must pay attention, be aware, and better our efforts when designing and building our homes.  We have to care!!! As it turns out this is not very difficult because down deep we all care.  We just need to alter our design priorities a smidgen and take a little more time in making important selection decisions affecting the health and energy aspects of our homes.  We need to realize the importance of making these early-prioritized choices and how they will influence our own longevity on this planet.  How much do we need to do and what do we have to give up? Anything we do is better than doing nothing, and will be better than what we have done in the past.  We don’t have to be perfectionists but we do need to do our best and try to make a difference.  And as surprising as it may seem, we need to give up very little if we plan and prioritize correctly.  It is amazing what can be achieved through proper site, space and envelope planning.  Choosing sustainable, renewable and maintenance-free products can be aesthetically pleasing while minimizing the negative impact on our natural environment. 

Is “green design” different from “green building”? Green design refers to the special planning strategies utilized to conserve energy, provide alternative energy opportunities and protect our natural resources while overall providing a healthier living environment.  Passive solar design, natural ventilation, earth berms/sheltering, building size and shape, site orientation, room orientation, south facing windows, roof overhangs, and air-lock entries are all green design strategies. The techniques used in green design often include alternative building systems to help enhance the efficiency of the structure.  These building systems include the use of sustainable, renewable, non-toxic or energy conserving materials to achieve a greater result.  The term “green building”, or “green construction”, most commonly refers to the use of these green materials and energy efficient products, which may or may not include special building systems and thereby integrated into a green design.

Ann Arbor home owners are you curious… what is a smart home?

Watch this great video from Realtor TV for a peek inside one of America’s greenest homes – it is way cool and definitely worth 3 minutes of your time:  http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid13320769001?bctid=2649597001

A smart home combines high and low tech features to bring efficiencies into every facet of living.  The video is shot from within the Smart Home exhibit at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.  It highlights the latest innovations in reusable resources and clean technology.

Chicago’s smart home is actually a modular unit, built in seven modules in Decatur, Indiana and assembled on site.  Fascinatingly enough, this home was created in just 8 weeks at the factory and took only one day to fully assemble.

Notable smart features:

• Designed to fit on a standard city lot
• 2,500 sqft but feels bigger due to lighting and stacking
• Incorporates many outdoor spaces
• Monitors energy use and water use in real time, owners know how much energy is produced from solar systems and consumed
• State of the art water catching system, “Recycled Raindrops”, used for garden irrigation
• Green roof modular tray system, protects lifespan of the roof, makes the home warm in winter, cool in summer – AND never needs to be watered!
• Aqua system (lives under the bathroom sink), uses filtered gray water from brushing teeth and shaving to flush the toilets.
• Portable Fireplace that burns ethanol – no chimney, heat stays in the house

This is a fascinating story, watch the video to take a look at the next front in American living.

For help with Ann Arbor real estate please contact Kathy Toth and Team or feel free to use our free online Ann Arbor real estate search!

The Ann Arbor City Council has finally approved the 601 Forest project, well part of it anyway.  The original plan contained 26 stories, 1,100 beds and 342 units.  The ‘revised’ plan is only 14 stories with 150-175 rooms and 570-610 units.  So those in favor of horizontal Ann Arbor growth should be pleased.  Units will be furnished and offer amenities such as flat screen TVs and large windows with great campus views.  The project will be marketed solely to University of Michigan students.  The space will also contain a cafe, fitness facility, business center and rooftop garden. 

Developers at 601 Forest plan to use environmentally friendly building processes, construction materials and systems.  Plans include:

• Passive solar technologies
• Advanced water recapture systems
• A Green roof

Developers plan to seek at least a silver LEED certification from the US Green Building Council.  And for those of you wondering… the Mud Bowl will be staying.

For more information about Ann Arbor condos please contact Kathy Toth & Team

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The trend toward building environmentally friendly structures in downtown Ann Arbor continues.  Many developers are pursuing the use of materials and building techniques that comply with standards for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).  Alex de Parry’s City Place Apartments on South Fifth Avenue include an underground geothermal energy system and high-efficiency water fixtures.  This project is just one of three large residential projects to use green building standards recently.

To earn a LEEDS certification, buildings must earn a certain number of points by adding building elements to standards.  There are many combinations that can earn those points, for instance – a building could:

• Have vegetated surfaces such as a "green roof" to reduce stormwater runoff and heat reflection
• Use high-efficiency water fixtures and low-energy appliances
• Offer incentives for employees to carpool or bike to work
• Offer bike racks
• Use more insulation yet offer additional windows for light and ventilation

Green building in Ann Arbor is expensive upfront however and local developers would like to see more municipal incentives.  Do the buildings make economic sense?  Developers say there is more demand and rents are higher in green buildings.  The upfront investment in greater efficiencies also will pay off at some point in the long run.

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority used to focus on providing grants to private development projects.  These projects are now largely supported and being moved forward naturally by the marketplace.  Thus, these types of general partnership grants have mostly been eliminated.  For the next two years the DDA will focus mainly on energy conservation projects.  Their goal is to make downtown businesses and buildings as "green" as possible.

They have developed a new energy saving grant program that all businesses in the DDA area may apply for.  The program offers:

• A professional energy audit and consultation to develop improvements
• Installation of energy saving equipment such as windows and heating/cooling elements
• Matching grant participation in project costs up to $20,000

The Ann Arbor DDA has allocated $200,000 to furthering this project in the initial discovery stages.  This should allow 40 businesses to participate.  An additional $200,000 will be allocated for phase two which includes actually making energy saving improvements.

This new initiative is aligned with the DDA’s mission to use public money to spark private reinvestment.  

NSF International, an Ann Arbor based company, recently drafted new certification standards for "green" flooring.  The flooring certification will give US consumers an additional boost of confidence about credible green flooring products.  NSF also hopes that the standard will help companies earn points in the the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED).

The certification has not ignored the "human" factor – to qualify companies would need to verify that they meet social accountability goals such as complying with labor rules and assuring no workplace discrimination is taking place.  Some local Ann Arbor architects are concerned about such guidelines.  Similar programs with social responsibility criteria have lead to higher costs and fewer projects seeking certification diluting the original cause.

To date, Ann Arbor builders focusing on environmentally friendly processes have seen a healthy interest in "green" projects.  The use of green building materials seems to be a strong selling point.  They expect the NSF certification will add value to the real estate proposition.  Certification can take 2-3 months to achieve and even longer to prepare for. 

NSF is also in the process of drafting green standards for carpeting, textiles, furniture and roofing membranes. 

To find out more about Ann Arbor green building projects, please contact Kathy Toth and Team