nergy Star Homes have been around now for a while in Houston, but now Environments for Living has taken the city by storm. Where Energy Star focuses on Windows, Appliances, etc. - Environments for Living focuses on the Envelope of the home, the structure itself, to help reduce air infiltration to be even more energy efficient. The two programs coincide to make a healthier and more energy efficient home.

It is definitely a lighter shade of green but a large step in the right direction.

Some builders in the area are building to a higher level in the program and will also focus on Water Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality.

If you are needing to purchase a home under $250,000 you may want to consider looking in to builders using this program. Make sure you find out what level they are building to and what products they are using for paint, etc. if Indoor Air Quality is Important to you.

For a list of builders signed up with Environments for Living, follow this link
EFL Builders

ith gas prices as high as they are right now, you may want to purchse closer to Downtown or the Medical Center inside Loop 610, otherwise known as Inner Loop.

Much of what you see here are Condos and Townhomes. There are a handful of builders and developers going green here also. Although some may only have the Energy Star Label don't let that mislead you.

If you take a close look at the materials used and HVAC components it may be pretty green! Once again, look for Indoor Air Quality, materials used such as flooring and paints, and Energy Efficient items. If you search enough, you may even find some Insulated Concrete Form Townhomes in the mix.

You can find these starting at about $300,000.

The photo shown is an ICF Townhome going up by KeyFortress Homes.

EED for Homes is Red Hot around the Nation and Houston is no different. More and more homebuyers are building to these strict terms for a Darker Shade of Green.

In order to have a LEED home in Houston right now, you will more than likely have to go through the Design process. Which is not really a bad thing..you can build exactly what you want after all.

You can choose what components and materials of the home are most important to you and then have it Certified at one of the several levels of LEED at the end. The 3rd party certification insures you that your home is what you thought it would be.

There are many numbers out there right now as to what building LEED costs right now, but any way you cut it you can expect to spend atleast $140 per foot and up.

For more on what LEED is I recommend visiting the
USGBC Website

The picture shown is Houston's first LEED Gold Certified home built by
Greenhaus Builders

f you are really interested in having Renewable Energy in your home such as Solar Panels, there are some ways to do this.

One option is to just simply add a Solar Product to your existing home whether it be Solar Panels, Solar Water Heater, Solar Attic Fans- The product you use is up to you.

But, you want to have Solar on a New Home? You could always build LEED as mentioned above and have Solar as one of the items you use..

Or you can purchase a home with Solar on it. There is a community called Lakes of Williams Ranch near Sugarland with Custom Homes starting at the $600's--

Or there is Discovery at Spring Trails which will have homes starting about $170,000 on the North side of town. More information about this community can be found on Turning Houston Green.

Other home builders may offer solar as an optional upgrade, one that comes to mind is Wilshire Homes which is the picture above. The home is one of the models in The Village of Creekside Park in The Woodlands.

ometimes folks just really like the style and location of existing homes and really do not want to go through the hassle of building or starting over. Are there options? Of Course!

Houston, TX has some phenomenal remodelers that are well versed in what it takes to be GREEN.

Another option would be to take your existing home or purchase one that can be remodeled to be as Green as you want.

You would then have the option to add Solar Panels, high efficiency A/C and Heat, make a better Indoor Air Quality, add Insulation...and yet still have the 'bones' of the home be what you want.

You can find a list of Green Remodelers on my Turning Houston Green site.

n conclusion, there are several options available to go or build Green in Houston, TX right now. As the opportunities grow and other options open up, I will update this page to help keep you informed.

Any other questions or would like to hear something different? Leave a comment or shoot me an email.