Green Homes in Pasadena: Builders Getting Eco-Friendly with LEED system

It seems like everyone's "going green" these days, from car makers, to educational institutions, to big companies trying to save on paper costs for bills.  Now home builders are jumping on board too.  Nationally, builders expect that by 2010 as many as 40-50% of homes being built will be "green," according to the National Association of Home Builders in March 2007.  Even in Pasadena we have seen the eco-friendly Wilson Residences listed recently, and construction has begun on the "Pasadena Eco-House."

So what is a "green" home?  The US Green Building Council has provided a useful rating system called the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System^TM.  The LEED ratings begin with the assumption that a home is a system, just like the human body or the planet.  To make the home system as low-impact as possible, builders focus on 5 areas to build a LEED home:

Aspects of a LEED home

1. Water - Is the property set up to harvest water?  As a nation and especially in Pasadena water is becoming more scarce.  Does the home collect rain water off the roof?  Does it allow water to percolate into the ground before it is lost?
2. Energy - The builders start with the passive system (natural breezes, heat and light from direction of the sun) and then consider what active system may be needed to augment the passive, natural system.  Also included is energy conservation such as window insulation, energy-efficient appliances, and smart use of ceiling fans.
3. Sites - Different home sites have different wind directions, angles toward the sun, and water runoff.  LEED homes recognize the uniqueness of each home site and capitalize on it to reduce energy use in the home.  In Pasadena this would include the slopes and shady vegetation.  
4. Materials - LEED homes use materials that are recycled and non-toxic.  This includes paint, decks, carpets, walls, even the framing of the house.  
5. Indoor Air Quality - Toxins in building materials plus well insulated doors and windows equals sick people.  Builders of LEED homes avoid these sorts of toxins so that indoor air quality can be better than outdoor pollution or the smog that sometimes hovers near Pasadena.

If you would like to find out more information about green homes in Pasadena or about specific green homes such as the Wilson Residences, let us know.  We work with Katrina Rosa, RA, LEED AP from The Eco>Logic Studio to orient your home buying or home selling experience around environmental and "green" concerns.