The Benefits of a Green Home

We at Newbury are currently in the process of finalizing our agreements with four builders: one custom builder, one zero-energy builder, one product builder and one specialty builder. We look forward to announcing our builders in the next few weeks. In addition, we’ll be starting model construction this fall and winter with a model open at the Newbury homesite in the spring.

Living in a green home has many very real benefits, and every day, more and more Americans are discovering those benefits.  Green homes are expected to make up 10% of new home construction by 2010!  According to greenhomeguide.org, month to month, people who live in green homes save money by consuming 40% less energy and 50% less water than standard homes.  In addition, the restidential cooling and heating systems alone make up 20% of the United States’ yearly energy use.  Throw in household lighting, appliances and other electronic equipment, and homes are clearly a major source of energy consumption.  Green homes use 40% less energy than comparable standard homes.

Look forward to another blog post by the end of the week updating our construction process on the Newbury Market site!

100 Ways to Save the Environment

What a great idea!  100 ways to save the environment.  A few of our favorites also seem to be the easiest:

9.  Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load so that it uses less energy

10.  Unplug seldom used appliances (think about lamps or CD players)

19.   Consider your Summer Vacation:  Keep your thermostat higher in the summer and lower in the winter when you are away

23.  Plant trees to shade your home

32.  Review labels of household cleaners you use.  Consider alternatives like baking soda, scouring pads, water or a little more elbow grease.

49.  Copy and print on both sides of the paper

59.  Recycle printer cartridges

71.  Walk and ride your bike instead of driving, whenever possible (this will be great at Newbury!)

To read the other 92 ways to save the environment, click here.