Building Green and Saving Greenbacks

You know I can't really give you the definition of "Green" in relation to building homes other than I believe it involves using materials and labor that cause minimal impact to the environment and result in minimal energy usage in the completed home.

Our local Home Builder Association has been holding some fatastic continuing education programs. Recently my brother and I completed the ADA course and today we completed a wonderful 3 hour program on Cost Effective Construction Methods for Building High Performance Homes....the English version is "how to construct very energy efficient homes without over spending builder budgets and ultimately save the home owner on utility bills."

The industry is making great strides. Research is changing many of the previously held views about insulation, air conditioning systems, and ductwork and there are substantial tax benefits to home builders building under the 'Energy Star Home Program."

So it is looking like it is more and more feasible to build efficient homes and save the builder and the consumer $$$$ in the long and short haul. I am fired up and excited about what we learned today. Much of the research going into the new energy discoveries is being performed right her at the Energy Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University.

Way to go Aggie Researchers!

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