Green Homes Pittsburgh

Getting a home energy assessment is one of the best ways to save money on your utility bills and improve the comfort of your home. Energy assessments come in several different varieties that will achieve different goals. A few of your options include:

Online Energy Assessment – These are online tools, like The ENERGY STAR Home Energy Yardstick,  that allow you to enter your utility usage, cost and home description. The tool will then let you compare your energy usage to others around the country. It also provides general ideas of how you might be able to lower your energy usage.

In-Home Energy Assessment – Usually costing between $75 and $175 dollars. A representative of the assessment company will come to your home, review your utility bills, do a visual inspection and make suggestions that can improve energy usage and comfort. You can expect to receive some general advice and several specific suggestions for your home, based upon the visual inspection. These professionals will usually safety test your furnace and leave you with a list of improvements. This is a good option if you are looking for a low cost way to start your weatherization plan and want expert advice on how to get started.

Whole Home Diagnostic Energy Assessment – Commonly called an energy audit, this service includes diagnostic testing of your home with a blower-door, and sometimes includes and infrared camera and duct-blaster. It is used to positively identify air leaks in your home, resulting in a detailed plan for air-sealing and insulation. It should also include testing of your combustion appliances to verify the are operating efficiently and safely. The result is detailed information on your energy usage and a road map that can save you 25-40% or more. Providers of this type of service need to be certified through RESNET and BPI. The service will range between $300 and $500 dollars depending on the tests performed and size of your home.

Whole Home Performance Energy Assessment with Computer Modeling – This audit is similar to the service listed above but includes computerized modeling of your home that pinpoints current energy usage and estimated the savings from proposed upgrades and their payback periods. This ENERGY STAR program returns the report required for homeowners that want to apply for low interest Keystone Help loans which help pay for energy related improvements and for West Penn Power customers that want to take advantage of rebate programs. It is also a necessary step to applying for Energy Efficient Mortgages as part of the sales process.

If you are looking for an energy audit in Allegheny or Westmoreland counties, contact New Leaf Home Energy, a PA Home Energy Service Provider to schedule your energy assessments.

And if you are looking to purchase an energy efficient home, or improve an older home as part of the sales process, in Allegheny or Westmoreland county call Christa Ross from RE/MAX Select Realty, at 724-933-6300 x214 (office) or 724-779-1437 (direct) or visit my website at www.greenhomespgh.com.

Here is a great video that really speaks to the economic benefits of purchasing a green home. Enjoy.

Find an energy efficient home in Pittsburgh! Call Christa Ross from RE/MAX Select Realty, at 724-933-6300 x214 (office) or 724-779-1437 (direct) or visit my website at www.greenhomespgh.com.

I was recently introduced to a theory called Jevons paradox. It states that as efficiency increases, the rate of consumption increases as well. We tend to think that our efforts to save money and resources by purchasing more efficient appliances or retrofitting our homes to lower our utility bills will conserve energy but the Jevons paradox says that what is more likely to happen is that we will use more energy since our costs have gone down. When William Stanley Jevons first introduced the paradox back in 1865, he was talking about how coal consumption increased when a more efficient steam engine was introduced to the marketplace.

Examples of this effect are pretty commonplace if you think about it, most of us will agree that new technology like email and smartphones have not reduced our workload, they have just allowed us to do more work.

Of course now we sit at a time when it is vitally important to use less. We need to become more efficient and reduce usage at the same time. Here are a few examples…

Install CFLs in your home AND turn off the light when you leave the room

Buy an energy efficient car AND plan your day to avoid extra trips or walk instead

Make energy retrofits to your home AND turn down the thermostat a few degrees

Buy and ENERGY STAR computer monitor AND shut off the power when you are done working.

When you think about it there are many ways to practice both efficiency AND conservation. Give it a try and help prove Mr. Jevons wrong.

Join me tonight at 1611 Meadville Street in Fineview for an amazing view of the city and a look at these great ENERGY STAR homes!

Fineview City View from the Overlook

Open from 5 to 7 and then you can head down to the Roberto Clemente bridge for the Light Up Night Bridge Party and fireworks at 8:30pm.

For more information go to
www.fineviewhomes.com

or Contact Christa Ross, RE/MAX Select Realty, 724-933-6300 x214 or direct at 724-309-1758.

A new report from the EPA announced some good news but I hope that soon we will be talking about 100% of homes being built to an energy-efficient standard. In the meantime if you are buying a new home you owe it to yourself to buy the best home possible and that’s more than likely going to be one build to a higher standard.

EPA Announces Energy Star Homes Reach Nearly 17 Percent Market Share for 2008

Join me from 1-3pm on Sunday, November 1st at E lane @ Carnegie to take a look at these unique, green, ENERGY STAR homes. E lane @ Carnegie incorporates today’s most advanced building techniques and technologies. The result is a home that costs only $319 a year to heat (est). Eco-friendly materials like bamboo and cork flooring, spa-like bathrooms, open floorplan, native landscaping and single floor living are just a few highlights.

E lane @ Carnegie, Green Home For Sale

Visit the future of sustainable living.

826 Washington Avenue, Carnegie, PA 15106

2 Bedroom
2 Bathroom
2 Car Garage
No Maintenance Living
Healthy Green Home
Single Floor Living
Starting at $194,900

For more information visit www.elane.biz

Christa Ross, REALTOR®
Ecosociate™ and RE/MAX Green Specialist

RE/MAX Select Realty
1667 Route 228, Cranberry Twp, PA
724-933-6300 x214 office
724-779-1437 direct

Interested, you should be, because this is one of the first homes in the Pittsburgh, PA area that is green, energy-efficient, affordable and pretty darn stylish as well. The property is called E lane @ Carnegie and it sits right off Washington Avenue in Carnegie, PA.

E lane @ Carnegie

Because of its orientation to the road it can be easy to miss, but swing up the driveway and you will see an amazing modern prairie-style home that incorporates creative ideas, sustainable materials and elegant, simple living that is good for your pocketbook, health and the environment.

The two homes at E lane (there are plans for nine total) are ENERGY STAR® qualified homes, meaning they have been tested by an independent energy auditor who has assigned a HERS Index to the home. It takes into account things like insulation, air sealing, heating, cooling and other energy usage aspects of a home. In order for a home to be called an ENERGY STAR home if must beat an 85 on the HERS Index, which relates to a saving of at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code, and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20–30% more efficient than standard homes.

Part of any Energy Rating is the report that not only shows the HERS Index score, but also specific details of the construction methods, mechanical systems, lighting, heating, cooling and appliances. A Certified Energy Auditor will test the home with high-tech tools like a blower door and duct blaster. These tools can tell how and where hot and cool air leaks in and out of a home. All this information, and existing utility bills (if any), are fed into a computer program that returns estimates of energy costs and how they can be affected by changes to a home. It also spits out the HERS Index.

Using this report it is possible to compare how one home stacks up against another. I decided to take a look at how E lane @ Carnegie would compare to a typical, older Pittsburgh home. By working with a local Energy Auditor, I was able to secure a rating on a comparable Pittsburgh home.

E lane @ Carnegie is a 1,100 square feet, single floor, 2 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom, and 2 Car Garage Home. It is built using SIP construction; foam air sealed and sits on an insulated crawl space. It is heated with a high-efficiency electric heat pump. Matter of fact, the home is all electric and qualifies for a reduced rate with Duquesne Light. E lane @ Carnegie has a HERS Index of 69.

The comparable home is a typical ranch you see in many local neighborhoods. It is 1,085 sq feet, single floor, 2 Bedroom, 1.5 Bathroom, and 1 Car Garage. It’s an older, brick home that sits on a full basement with the garage integrated. It is heated with a gas, forced air furnace that was new enough that replacement is not recommended. It achieved a HERS Index of 159.

So how did they stack up? Take a look:

E lane is the obvious winner with total energy costs of only $1,141 a year. If you look at just heating, you will see that at $319 a year, your average bill would only be $26.58 a month! The comparable homeowner will spend $4,309 a year on their energy bills, the majority to cover the $2,856 heating bill. Based on the Energy Reports, you could expect to save almost $264 a month on your utilities if you were to live here, rather than buying an older home somewhere else. It’s even more amazing when you think about how that plays out over time. In one year, you’ll save $3,168. In 10 years, you’ll save $31,680, just by making a smart home buying decision.

The story doesn’t end there, because all that energy you don’t use adds up to savings for the environment too. According to the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program an ENERGY STAR home eliminates the emissions from 0.5 vehicles, saves 3,000 lbs of coal, is equal to planting almost an acres of trees and saves the environment 5,800 pounds of CO2 per year. Those are some pretty big numbers.

Of course, there are many other benefits to buying one of these green, energy-efficient homes like comfort, a great walk-able neighborhood, creative, no-maintenance landscaping, an ADA-friendly floor plan and a layout for modern living.

You can find out more going to www.elane.biz or contact me.

Want to see E lane @ Carnegie for yourself? Call Christa Ross from RE/MAX Select Realty, your certified green agent and RE/MAX green specialist at 724-309-1758 or visit my website at

Here are a few highlights I wanted to post from a story in the The Idaho Statesman. You can read the entire story here.

Tyler Gilman, director of sales and marketing at Capitol Building Co. in Boise, said all 12 builders participating build only Energy Star homes. They struggle to compete with other builders who are cutting prices, he acknowledged.

“Everybody on the planet is cutting the guts out of houses to compete with each other,” Gilman said. “But we’re not going to compromise on the components in our homes. It’s the right thing to do for environment, and it’s better for the consumer.”

Gilman said most homebuyers don’t realize that paying more for an Energy Star home is a better long-term investment.

While other builders are cutting prices and turning to alternatives like eBay sales, builders that focus on Energy Star homes are trying to convince buyers that it’s a good long-term investment to pay more for an Energy Star home. Energy Star is a labeling program started in 1992 to recognize products that meet a higher energy conservation standard. The program is run jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Tyler Gilman, director of sales and marketing at Capitol Building Co. in Boise, said all 12 builders participating build only Energy Star homes. They struggle to compete with other builders who are cutting prices, he acknowledged.

“Everybody on the planet is cutting the guts out of houses to compete with each other,” Gilman said. “But we’re not going to compromise on the components in our homes. It’s the right thing to do for environment, and it’s better for the consumer.”

Gilman said most homebuyers don’t realize that paying more for an Energy Star home is a better long-term investment.

“The difference in costs is $3,000 to $8,000, depending on the options,” he said. “But a typical Energy Star home saves a homeowner an average of 30 to 40 percent a year” on heating and cooling costs.

Gilman said Energy Star homes also typically have higher resale values.

But he concedes that most people don’t even think about energy costs when buying a home.

“They tend to focus more on granite counter tops and the paint job,” he said.

The problem is that most homebuyers expect a new home to be energy efficient, but that isn’t the case, he said. Idaho’s building codes have minimal energy-conservation requirements.

Most homes are built with the minimum required insulation. The codes also do not require sealing of duct work in a home’s crawl and attic spaces, so often valuable hot and cold air is lost.

and I love this stat…

“Building an Energy Star home is equivalent to parking your car for two months out of the year or planting 200 new trees,”

Want to find a home in that is good for your family, wallet, health and planet? Call Christa Ross from RE/MAX Select Realty, your certified green agent and RE/MAX green specialist at 724-309-1758 or visit my website at www.greenhomespgh.com.

Usually when articles talk about selecting the right real estate agent they suggest getting referrals from someone you trust, or finding a neighborhood expert, but rarely do they talk about finding an agent that shares your environmental views. In 2008, Shelton Group’s Energy Pulse reported that 78% of homeowners said no one mentioned energy efficiency during their purchase process. So how important is it that homebuyers consider the energy and environmental aspects of their new home? Consider these facts:

• The average U.S. home spends $1,800 a year on energy.

• A typical house releases 22,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, twice as much as the average car.

• Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of total U.S. energy consumption and 12 percent of water use.

• Deregulation of Pennsylvania’s electric rates is scheduled for 2010. While no one knows exactly what will happen, some experts predict rates could jump by over 65%.

• Indoor air can be two- to five-times more polluted than the air outdoors.

Some of us have committed ourselves to becoming agents for change. So, here’s what a certified green agent can do for you…

• We can recommend properties that are being built with environmentally friendly and energy efficient practices.

• We can show you walkable communities that reduce the amount of time you’ll spend in your car.

• We can point out different green and efficient elements of a home and help you determine what features are most important to you, or will save you the most money.

• We can show you how purchasing a slightly more expensive but energy efficient home can cost you less than choosing a “cheaper” house which costs more to operate.

• We can direct you to professionals that can evaluate indoor air quality and energy efficiency, of both new and existing homes.

• We can help you navigate the financial and tax benefits that energy improvements and energy efficient mortgages can provide.

• We can assist in quantifying the cost benefits a particular “green” feature will add to the value of your home.

• We can introduce you to tools that will allow you to live in a home for less and be more comfortable.

• We can differentiate your green and efficient home from the competition when it comes time to sell.

In addition to being knowledgeable real estate agents, a green specialist can help you find your next home that is good for your wallet, health, family and planet.