About Green Homes
What does Green Building Mean?
We at Otero Signature Homes are proud to offer certified Green Built homes. These homes earn their designation through incorporating environmental considerations into every phase of the home building process. That means that during the design, construction, and operation of a home, energy and water efficiency, lot development, resource efficient building design and materials, indoor environmental quality, homeowner maintenance, and the home's overall impact on the environment are all taken into account. This process of building results in more sustainable communities and the reversal of many of the negative impacts of development upon our planet.
Lot design, preparation, and development
Resource-efficient site design and development practices help reduce the environmental impacts and improve the energy performance of new housing.
Energy Efficiency
On average, a home built between 1990 and 2001 consumed about 12,800 kWh per year for space and water heating, cooling and lights and appliances. Where natural gas is used, consumption averages 69,000 cubic feet per household annually. Total energy expenditures during a year cost these homeowners about $1,600. Energy efficiency improvements that make a home 20% more efficient - a conservative estimate for many green homes - could significantly reduce a homeowner's annual utility expenses.
We are proud to offer new homes that have earned the ENERGY STAR® label. ENERGY STAR qualified new homes are substantially more energy efficient than homes built to the minimum code requirements. Our ENERGY STAR qualified new homes are independently verified by a third-party Home Energy Rater to ensure they meet ENERGY STAR energy efficiency guidelines. These homes are better for the environment and better for you. Learn more about ENERGY STAR qualified new homes at http://www.energystar.gov.
Water Efficiency
Green homes often conserve water both indoors and out. More efficient water delivery systems indoors and native and drought resistant landscaping choices can help prevent unnecessary waste of valuable water resources.
Indoor Air Quality Improvement
By focusing on improving the indoor air quality through the use of recovery ventilators, advanced filtration systems, and low VOC paints, it greatly reduces dust, pet dander, air born allergies, and your overall standard of living.
Operation, Maintenance & Homeowner Education
Improper or inadequate maintenance can defeat the builder's best efforts to create a resource efficient home. By providing homeowner's with information regarding proper operating and maintenance procedures, a builder can help assure that the green home that was so carefully built will also be operated in an environmentally responsible manner.
Global Impact
Selection of paints is one issue that falls into the category of global impact. Selecting low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) helps prevent the release of VOC's from wet paint that form ground-level ozone pollution.
Tax Credits and Energy Efficient Mortgages
For more information on available tax credits and incentives visit http://www.energytaxincentives.org/ and http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index. For information on energy efficient mortgages, visit the Energy Star website.
