One of the biggest trends that is happening these days is the turn towards a green environment and that cannot be ignored when it comes to Bothell, Lynnwood and Mill Creek new homes. More and more home buyers are looking for new homes that are built green or have green features.
Home builders in Bothell, Lynnwood and Mill Creek have been following the lead of such large home builders Lennar, Meritage Homes, and KB Home which are making huge strides in their home building efforts to be more sustainable and build homes that are more energy-efficient and healthier to live in.
Of the 61 homes reviewed in the Bothell, Lynnwood, and Mill Creek areas 9 were either certified as Energy-Star or Built Green, kudos to home builders CamWest and Lozier.
Utility Costs
Home builders are scrambling to find ways to make their homes stand out in a sluggish housing market, Meritage Homes is launching a “net-zero-home” homes that produce as much energy as they use promotion. The homes are being built in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, and central Texas. The homes are being equipment with 9 solar panels as a standard feature. For an additional $10,000 you can get an upgrade of 24 solar-panels which could make the home a true net-zero-home.
This becomes a strong product differentiator, particularly when gasoline are hovering around $4 a gallon. Leading builders are focusing on building homes that cost less to operate.
The United States Department of Energy’s Building America program uses the E-scale rating system to rate their homes in the Builders Challenge program. The E-scale shows the energy performance of the home similar to miles-per-gallon (MPG) rating for cars the closer to zero the better. The scale goes from 100-0 in order to qualify homes entered in the Builders Challenge would need to be at 70 or lower on the E-scale, a score of 70 is 30% more efficient than a code built home.
Cost and Education
The obvious objective from builders is the extra cost that goes into building homes that are greener and more energy-efficient. Some home builders in the Bothell, Lynnwood, Mill Creek and Marysville areas have started to offer some energy efficient features. Yet the tug-of-war of cost to build and what buyer’s will pay for these features is still a major concern and perhaps a reason for not jumping totally in.
Perhaps a solution could be in the presentation and the marketing. Informative website, social media platforms and sales centers filled with samples of a wall section, windows, doors, and insulation showing buyers what goes into the home and how the homes envelope is sealed. It starts with educating an already aware home buyer of “why” this home is healthier, more durable, will last longer, and cost less to operate.
The paradigm shift is in the building, educating and marketing coming together to answer the “why” question.
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