Marketing Home Products

Habitat for Humanity has routinely been on the front lines helping those in need. But they also provide housing that helps the environment. Using sustainable construction techniques, 55 Habitat homes will be built in the San Antonio area this year, all of which meet LEED standards. Habitat for Humanity’s definition of sustainability is “providing housing for people with methods, products and processes that create healthy homes and communities that are less expensive to operate, more durable, and that conserve resources throughout construction and after.” Using this philosophy, Habitat has proved the value of green building – not only is it good for the environment but it can be affordable as well. The organization provides homes at cost to families in need. By seeking out sustainable and energy efficient products that are comparable in price to their traditional counterparts, Habitat is able to keep the cost of a home low. In addition, the construction practices and energy efficient products make the home less expensive to operate on a yearly basis. In recognition of their sustainability efforts to build Smart Energy houses, CPS Energy will honor the organization at this year’s Greater San Antonio Builders Association Summit Awards.

Congratulations to Habitat for Humanity on their recognition as a leader in sustainable building. Their philosophies and practices prove that sustainable can be affordable and can make a family’s future brighter.

There are many reasons and approaches to go green. Going green can save energy and water, reduce harmful emissions and preserve plants and wildlife. But often each green decision comes with a tradeoff. Typically the tradeoff most talked about is money. The initial investment in green technologies has historically been more expensive than their less eco-friendly counterparts. But there is another tradeoff to being green that must be considered. Oftentimes, green practices also come with green consequences.

Look at, for example, dishes. One option is to use ceramic or glass dishes every night and wash them while the other option is to use paper dishes every night and throw them away. Reusable dishes reduce your trash flow and landfill space, but increase your water usage. Paper dishes reduce your water usage while taking up more landfill space. Which one is greener? It truly depends on the unique user. Maybe you live in an area that has severe droughts every summer, in which case paper products would help your area conserve water during drought season. Or perhaps your local landfill is out of room; reusable plates would probably be the better option for your environment.

There are many home building products that are made from natural materials and there are many more that are made from synthetic materials. Natural materials may conserve energy, but deplete resources like forests. Synthetic materials may preserve forests while depleting other natural resources like oil and producing harmful emissions. So which is the better choice? That is up to your customers to decide. What is important for you to know as a building product manufacturer is that your green products present different benefits to different people. Know your customers and what aspects of going green are important to them… and which they are willing to sacrifice. By correctly targeting your green products to the right audience, you can make the tradeoff decision much easier for your customer.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is home to SmartHome Cleveland, our third concept house for the future.

SmartHome Cleveland was built using the Passive House methodology that emphasizes energy efficiency. The home has three key features that make it a Passive House.

• Eighteen inch thick walls provide high levels of insulation. The house is so insulated that it is meant to operate without a furnace.
• The home was constructed to minimize air leakage and maximize air quality – the ventilator system transfers heat from outgoing air to incoming air.
• The windows are highly energy efficient with three panes of glass.

The Passive House concept is popular in German construction. Thousands of homes in Germany are furnace-free, but only 15 such buildings exist in the United States. The home in Cleveland uses 90% less energy than a regular Cleveland home. And while the cost for construction is higher than a regular home, builders of SmartHome believe the monthly cost savings are worth it. As the technologies available in European countries (who have far stricter energy efficiency standards than we do) become more readily available in the U.S., the cost for these extremely efficient homes will decrease dramatically.

Will Passive Home methodology someday be the norm of home building?

Check back soon for the next stop on our Homes of the Future tour! In the meantime, if you missed our previous futuristic concept homes, read up on the Smart Home in Chicago and Earthships.