As Green Building begins to reach out and grasp the attention of consumers, builders, lenders, etc. - The terms commonly used appear to be getting used interchangeably.  I think this is creating confusion and misunderstanding.  It is very important to understand the marketing behind the words. 

I was speaking with a builder earlier today about Residential Construction in the Green Community and we were talking about the differences between certain products.  I thought it would be a good topic to write on.  Here are the items that jumped out at me.

When Green Building first started it brought together many topics.  Environmentally Friendly, Energy Efficient, Recycled Products, Low Toxin and other products that are considered to make a Healthier Environment.  Now that the number of products available grows, we are seeing various new categories develop:

• Energy-Efficient- a good example would be Energy Star
• High Performance- a good example would be one built with ICF's
• Green- built with a variety of products
• Homes with a mix of these.  One example would be LEEDwhere it starts with design like a High Performance Home and can use Green products such as Low VOC Paints, Recycled Flooring, Solar Tube, Solar Panels, etc.  Follow the link above to learn more about LEED Certified homes.

Now, for the difference between a High Performance Home and a Green Home.  Can a home be both of these, absolutely, and often times they are.  The purpose of this post is to be able to understand what the difference is between a home marketed as a High Performance Home and  Green Home.

JaneAnne Narrin of EcoSteward Realty in North Carolina wrote and excellent post on High Performance Homes that I invite you to read.  To summarize, the High Performance Home starts with design.  These homes are going to be a very Tight Construction called the "envelope".  Due to the tight "envelope" the home will need more attention to Air Circulation and transfer of indoor/outdoor air.  Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).  Here are the some of the key points for a High Performance Home:

• Energy Efficiency
• Water Efficiency
• Indoor Air Quality Efficiency
• Site Planning and Lot Development
• Homeowner Education

These homes are what I would call, with my slang, an Ultra Efficient Home.  You will see a difference in your Utility Savings and there should be a significant reduction in allergy and asthma symptoms.  Believe it or not High Performance Homes built with Insulated Concrete Forms have shown that the larger the home, the more efficient it is.  Typically these will not have Wood Framing which also makes the Fire Rating of these homes amazing.

Now, a GREEN Home.  We have gone in past years from GREEN being only Environmentally Safe Products, then Green was affected some by Greenwashing, and now Green Products are even more environmentally safe than typical products (i.e. recycled, less wasteful manufacturing, etc) and we are finding they are better for us too.   Thus making the difference between a High Performance Home and a GREEN Home.  Here are some things you might find on/in a GREEN Home:

• Some WILL have wood framing
• Bamboo or Recycled Flooring
• Perhaps Recycled Insulation
• GreyWater System (capturing rain water for household use)
• GeoThermal Technology
• Special Roofing Materials

This is just a SHORT list.  But you will see that a GREEN HOME uses materials that are really GREEN, like the recycled products.  These will also be Energy Efficient while utilizing Environmentally Friendly Products.

As I said earlier, there will be homes that combines features from both systems. I hope that I have cleared up some of the confusion so that now when you see High Performance Home or GREEN Built Home, hopefully you will have some ideas on what to look for.  If you are wanting to build, pick out the aspects that are most important to you.  It doesn't have to be one or the other.  It could be Hybrid so to speak.

For an update on this post, Please CLICK HERE.