Residential property owners, who are entertaining  some of the tax credits and incentives for green building, are often greenhorns to the process. The best approach to test the efficacy of a  green building process is if the design concept benefits the  life span  of the home.  From selecting products that qualify for federal tax credits to hiring a contractor, who is either LEED certified or a licensed contractors with the appropriate credentials–the learning curve for LEED or green building floor plans is too extensive for one blog post. Refer to these questions and facts about LEED design.

What is LEED Design and Green Building?

LEED is the acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The globally-standardized green building certification system enables residential property owners the ability to implement design features that are sustainable and environmentally healthy for occupants of the home and its effects on the ecosystem. Some people refer to LEED design as green building, as both design premises encompass the proceeding:

• Heating and cooling (in example geothermal systems)
• Lighting (solar windows)
• Water (double- flush high efficiency toilets
• Insulation (organic products)
• Toxins (low  VOC paints, finishes, ect).

Is LEED design less expensive than traditional homebuilding?

No. On the contrary, LEED design us often expensive but designed to pay for itself over the life of the domicile.

Modular floor plans  garner a green building philosophy. As most of the construction and manufacturing transpire in the confines of a production plant, building these floor plans has little impact on the emission of greenhouse gases on the environment. Certain floor plans’ builders incorporate passive design for a lean and green building perspective.

Although green building (LEED design) is growing among preferred amenities, homeowners should consider consulting a realtor before embarking upon an elaborate floor plan to determine the value. Also, determine if your state offers any tax rebates or credits for making improvements which reduce the carbon footprint.

Did you know that conventional house plans account for more than 30 percent of carbon dioxide emissions? Based on the evaluations of the U.S. Energy Administration, residential homes emit 35 percent of the greenhouse gases into the United State’s environment.

When property owners consider building a Victorian, luxury or other mega-sized abode, emerging energy costs should serve as a deterrent. Bill Haney, the CEO of Blu Home’s a green architectural firm specializing in building modular house plans, says that today’s residential property should “be an energy-efficient investment for the future, not resource-guzzling burdens.”

This is why modular or pre-fabricated house plans are hotter, then ever. From the construction standpoint, a modular design saves on production time and money. More essentially, green building homes not only minimize upfront costs but also are designed to be energy efficient for the duration of the home’s life span.  There are three other reasons that modular house plans signify green qualities:

Aethesticize functionality.  Rather then a house plan featuring expansive rooms with wasted space, green home design generally doubles in its visual appeal and utilitarian characteristics.

Withstand climate extremities. During the planning phase of the modular house plan, architects try to evaluate how to design a resilient house plan that is adaptable to the climate changes, while making use of natural lighting and other organic resources.

Enduring durability. For the quality and value conscious property owner, pre-fabricated homes are manufactured with certain standards in production to assure long-term durability.

According to sources at Blu Home’s, the company’s clients are actualizing the benefits of the energy efficient homes. Radiant flooring, high quality insulation and passive energy optimizing design exemplify a few applications that Blu’s Homes builds homes built to a lifetime of energy efficiency.

Please visit, HousePlansandMore.com for additional modular house plan builders and  home design ideas.

What is the name of the organization responsible for standardizing green building and house floor plans? The LEED® Green Building Rating System (TM) implements the national standard for building commercial and residential green house floor plans. THE LEED® rating system also certifies house plans according to the following criterion:

• Sustainable site
• Innovation & Design
• Energy and Atmosphere
• Water Efficiency
• Material and Resources
• Indoor Environmental Quality

What are examples of the types of components building a green house floor plan? Around the home, a myriad of appliances and utilities exemplify energy savings and efficiency, ultimately reducing the carbon footprint. For instance, light-hued siding designed to diminish heat retention would have to meet LEED certification.

Aside from LEED certification, are there any other methods for architecting a green home? The REAL model home is also an ENERGY STAR®-rated home. The house floor plan consists of a precisely appointed selection of appliances, fixtures, and products aimed at maximizing the home’s natural resources (energy, water).

In the bathroom, dual-flush toilets conserve on water. A gray water system recycles bath and laundry water to flush toilets. A geothermal heating and cooling system is another example of efficiency. Additionally, ENERGY STAR®-rated appliances such as a dishwasher, ceiling fans and even compact fluorescent bulbs are other household products available in the REAL model home. 

If a homebuilder, who is already certified with LEED, designs my home– how can I be sure that my home is being developed accordingly? Throughout the development process of your green house floor plan, LEED built homes have to pass inspections to ensure that your home is being built according to the standards established

 Please click on “Building Green” house floors plan” to learn more about LEED certification.

• There are two types of solar house plans. Solar house plans come in two green home designs: passive or active

• With a passive solar house plan, the material used to build the house  utilizes the sun to to manage the inside climate. 

• An active solar house plan uses solar panels to collect and store sunlight.
• Solar house plans require exacting land plotting to maximize southern sun exposure.

• For ultimate energy savings and green home design, solar house plans incorporating both passive and active solar energy.

• With the passive solar house plan, bedrooms and most popular rooms of the domicile should be situation on the south side of the home.

• Solar house plans are highly effective in cities where there is ample sunshine.

• The ultimate land for the solar house plan is a deep lot with north and south exposure, allowing for the most autonomy over the solar zone.  To maximize solar access, explore lots with a south sloping versus a north sloping land.

• For instance,  House Plans and More features adobe style house plans, which are comprised of mud bricks to absorb the sun in the day to warm the household in the evening.
•  
• Prior to finalizing solar house plan, it is critical to check with the local zoning laws. Depending on the developments easements and the covenants associated with the deeded lot, certain restrictions may prevent the building of a solar house plan.

Browse these solar house plans for green home design ideas.

• The history of the log home floor plan chronicles the 17^th and 18^th centuries when Eastern European immigrants moved to America.

• The log home floor plan is prime for natural furnishings. Bamboo, teak, lava rock, glass and Jerusalem stone  are décor compatible.

• Some architects recommend that homebuyers experience spending the night in a vacation log home before opting for the floor plan.

• As for containing building costs, architects recommend opting for a log home floor plan with few corners.

• To save on building costs, shop for log home floor plans with a simple roof line.

• Select log home floor plans that are comprised of fewer intricate design features to allow for reducing energy costs. For example, a large window facing southern exposure heats the home during the winter months.

• The smaller the square footage and efficiently divided rooms, the more economical the log home floor plan is to build.

• According to certain heat and cooling contractors, well sealed wall logs coupled with a wood stove offers a better savings on the heating bill than an open fireplace.

• Today, many log home floor plans are architected in accordance with  various certification standards by Leadership in Energy and Environmental  Design (LEED).  

• House Plans and More.com maintains an extensive database of log home floor plans, an home floor plan estimator as well as other house plan styles.

Review related information by clicking on  ”log-home-floor plans“

Although it’s true that new home floor plans have a way of breathing new life into a home’s architecture, many heating and cooling contractors advise that homeowners start with an energy efficiency update, as in the whole-house system’s approach.

The whole-house systems approach affords a bevy of advantages. Primarily, these energy efficiency components are devised precisely to curtail both maintenance and utility costs. Even more appealing are the health, safety, home floor plan durability and comfortable living characteristics that the whole-house systems approach affords. In other words, these element play an critical role in building green.

Green building evaluates everything from how the occupants interact in the space, the climate to other  other home floor plan components, including:

• Insulation and air sealing
• Entrances, Doors, skylights, and windows, doors
• Water heating
• Natural light and lighting
• Space heating and cooling
• Energy efficient appliances and home electronics

As a result, the efficacy of using the whole house system’s approach to determine the design strategy for the new house floor plan is vital.  Consider the following green building elements to help select the right home floor plan:

• Earth-sheltered
• Energy Homes
• Log Homes
• Manufactured Homes
• Solar House Plans
• Straw Bale Homes

Be sure to bookmark Best House Floor Plans and More as we will be reviewing the aforementioned floor plans upcoming weeks.

What is LEED?

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System used to be a commercial construction option.  Growing in popularity among homeowners, the green building construction process requires certification to meet various green building benchmarks.

Which organization has oversight over Leadership in Energy an Environmental Design?

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) oversees and helps set the  standards for building homes and buildings in accordance  LEED® building. The USGBC developed benchmarks, which are nationally accepted. LEED® ratings evaluate green building based on three rudimentary criteria: design, construction and the reduction of carbon emission via high-performance environmentally sound buildings.

Which types of home energy construction potentially qualify for LEED® construction?

Geothermal energy and solar energy projects are generally applicable for LEED. Both work to decrease fossil fuels consumption. Since, geothermal energy is a derivative of the earth, it is practically unlimited, requiring minimal energy.

On the other hand, solar energy is quite versatile. With numerous mounting options, roof, shingles, walls, ceilings, and windows, the multi-purposed systems heat water, warm and cool the home.

Are there specific grading systems for LEED?

Yes, the USGBC developed a Green Building Rating System for LEED®, which includes the following rating levels: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Certified. Rating levels are determined by certified contractors.

Aside from building a home that is better for the environment, what are the benefits of green building?

The other advantages and incentives for LEED green building  include the following:

• Architect a healthier place to live
• Conserve on water and energy
• Minimize carbon emissions, which are detrimental to the planet’s eco-system
• Take advantage of various zoning allowances and tax credits
• Lower operational costs, which increase the property’s asset value
• Decrease the amount of waste, which ends up in landfills

Click on LEED Green Building to read about putting your constructing your new house plan into action.

“On December 1st 2009 The Environmental Protection Agency announced revised regulations for residential geothermal heat pumps (GHPs). The new requirements approve water-to-water geothermal pumps to qualify for the Energy Star label. In the past, the geothermal standards were conventional pumps, only. This means that homeowners are entitled to a 30 percent tax credit with the installation of any geothermal heating pump.”

For a more efficient form of heating this winter consider geothermal heating and its value to your home and the environment.

Related Articles:

10-Things to Know About Geothermal Heating and the Energy Tax Credit

 Simple Green Home Energy Tips

Best House Floors Plans went snooping around to determine the benefits, green features and facts about hearths. Here’s what we learned:

1)    Hearth rooms are emerging as the new gathering epicenter of the home. Situated in close proximity to the kitchen, and the midpoint of the home floor plan, hearths warm multiple rooms at a time.

2)    In home design and as seen on these house floor plans, hearths are a sizzling new trend.

3)    Over the last decade, numerous new energy efficient, burning fireplaces and inserts have become available on the market. These new products release far less particulate matter than older models.

4)    According to HomePlansandMore, hearth rooms are also referred to as a “keeping room”, characteristic of Colonial times.

5)    Constructed of stone or brick, hearths are emblematic of masonry fireplaces.

6)    Although, many people contend that hearths are not designed to be a primary heat source, most agree that hearths institute a sense of aesthetic warmth.

7)    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed a program, mandating the certification of hearths, built-in fireplaces and fireplace inserts.  As a result, consumers, who are shopping for a hearth, can learn how-to distinguish the green fireplace insert.

8)    Certain hearths, fireplace inserts and fireplaces qualify for the federally funded Tax Credit, which covers up to $1500 or a 30 percent credit of the total purchase, (effective now through December 31, 2010).

9)    Environmentalists theorize that a biomass, burning fireplace can save heating costs, annually by up to 40 percent.

So, you be the judge, do you think hearths are really green?

Add your opinion.

Related Articles:

Gas Burning 101

Wood Fireplace Insert Pros and Cons

Fireplace Solutions That Are Economical, Energy Efficient, Eco-Friendly, and Easy

What Is A Keeping Room?

-    Colonial
-    European
-    Mediterranean
-    Modular Homes
-    Traditional
-    Victorian

In quest of more than guest suites, media rooms, cabanas, Best House floor Plan went searching on the Internet for luxury mansion floor plans, highlighting green qualities or eco-friendly characteristics. The criteria consisted of solar panels, eco-windows, skylights and anything proving to be energy efficient and environmentally conducive. Here are the reports of our findings:

Imagine closets the depth and width of an average-sized bedroom. Watch television from a media room, which closely resembles a movie theatre. In the sunken great room, far-reaching cathedral ceilings are punctuated by fireplace layered in stonemasonry. This is what we found with mansion house floor plan #592-001D.

At HousePlansandMore.com, we were captivated by the magnitude of this Green Home Floor Plan. With 4958 square feet of living space, the upscale arts and crafts home plan is divided between two floors, five bedrooms, and a three-car garage. The green interior boasts an A-list of amazing features. Outside of the entryway, maintained between an angular roof, affixed with skylights, stately pillars are constructed of river stone. A recycled glass countertop serves as a sustainable alternative to granite, marble and other types of kitchen work surfaces.

At this luxury mansion home floor plans, the see-through fireplace and solarium evoked covetous feelings. During the winter months, a solarium offset, by a u-shaped staircase depicts a warmth and picturesque view. On the main floor, a see through fireplace offers heat and warmth throughout the hearth and dining rooms.

But with so many mansion home floor plans to dream about, one must see the homes at HouseFloorPlansandMore.com.

Meanwhile, be sure to check back in several weeks, when we deconstruct hearth rooms.

Related Articles:

Build It Green

Green House Floor Plan: Build An Energy Efficient Home

Inside an Eco-Friendly Million Dollar Mansion