Does Green Building Have to Cost More?
Another construction guru weighs in on the question, Does building smart have to cost more? No, he says.
Often, because we’re conditioned to think that bigger is better or because we’re told by a real estate agent that a house has to be large to keep its value, we build the largest home possible. By stretching budgets to maximize square footage, we’re then often forced to skimp on quality and performance. If, instead, we downsize the house, we can improve its quality (durability, detailing, energy efficiency, green features), and we might even be able to reduce the overall costs.
If you think you need a 3,000 square-foot house, consider whether 2,500 would suffice, or even less. There are some really great homes being built at 1,400 to 1,500 square feet — homes where every square foot is optimally used and there aren’t rooms, like formal dining rooms, that sit empty most of the time.
When it comes to energy, building a green, energy-efficient house usually does increase costs. But we can significantly reduce that extra cost — occasionally even eliminate it — by practicing “integrated energy design.” If we spend more money on the building envelope (more insulation, tighter construction detailing, and better windows) so that we dramatically reduce the heating and cooling loads, we can often save money on the heating and cooling equipment. With a really tight, energy-efficient house, for example, we might be able to eliminate the $10,000 to $15,000 distributed heating system in favor of one or two simple, through-the-wall-vented, high-efficiency gas space heaters, or even a few strips of electric resistance heat.
Well, and of course, building tight pays for itself over a few years. If you reduce your energy bill by 80 or 90 percent, you’re going pay for the extra upfront costs in short order. Add to that possible tax incentives or other local, state and federal government rebates, and it becomes absolutely stupid to not build “green.”
via BuildingGreen.com LIVE: Does Green Building Have to Cost More? by Alex Wilson on 03/04/2010.
