Stop in Saturday March 28th from 1-3 and tour

LaGrange County's First

5 Star Energy Rated Home

• New Construction

• 3 Bedrooms

• 2 Baths

• Appliances Included

• Walkout Basement

This home was custom built for value minded environmentally friendly buyers!

Conserve Energy-Protect Resources-Save Money

Priced to Sell: $125,000

Click here for more details and the virtual tour.

0195 W 060 S (off of Townline Road in LaGrange)

What Does it Mean to "Be Green"?

It's in the news, in the magazines, and on HGTV- green building or being more green in a remodel. I understand the concept in general, but when our office listed the first new home in our county with a 5+ Energy Star rating, I wanted to better understand the significance. I was familiar with the Energy Star rating I had seen on appliances. But, I didn't know Energy Star is a joint program through the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to help save money and protect the environment. A 5+ rating is the highest a home can receive and the grade is based on items such as: insulation, windows, tightly sealed construction, efficient heating and cooling, appliances, lighting, and water heaters. This house offers great savings on utility bills and less impact on our environment.

The National Association of Home Builders recently adopted the National Green Building Standard.

How Green Are You?

My search led me to several online tools that you can use to test how green you and your household are. They also offer tips that can save you money and reduce the impact on our environment.

Energy Star's Home Energy Yardstick See how your usage compares to other U.S. households and how you can improve your efficiency and save money.

EPA Personal Emissions Calculator Estimate your greenhouse gas emissions and find out how you can reduce your energy and waste disposal costs.

American Public Radio's Consumer Consequences Shows you what the world would look like if everyone lived like you, your ecological footprint based on the global acres your lifestyle consumes.

Low Impact Living Calculator shows you way to reduce global warming and offers green project ideas for around your home.

Get With Green.com offers a widget that gives homeowners eco friendly news and information on new products and ideas- you can easily add it to your blog, myspace, facebook, etc.