1. Location
   • Infrastructure – located within an area that already has public utilities and transportation access.
   • Amenities – Within walking distance of parks, schools, and stores.
   • Public transit — easy access to bus, light rail, bike paths and subway systems.
   • Not built on prime soil – New homes/neighborhoods must not be built on environmentally sensitive sites like prime farmland, wetlands or endangered species habitats.
   • Infill property – built on former developments such as parking lots, rail yards, shopping malls, and factories where the land had already been developed once with existing infrastructure.
   • Compact development – built where the average housing density is at least six units per acre.
2. Sustainable Home Site
   • Size – choose a smaller footprint home, no matter how many green building elements go into your home, a smaller home consumes less natural resources, building materials and energy than a larger one.
   • Landscaping – should minimize water consumption but still provide protection and shading. Look for drought-tolerant native plants rather than water-guzzling plants and grass in most regions.
   • Driveways and Sidewalks – utilize permeable paving/gravel instead of concrete.
   • Building Layout – Home oriented to bring abundant natural daylight into the interior to reduce lighting requirements and take advantage of any prevailing breezes.
   • Rainwater Harvesting System – particularly in drier regions where water is increasingly scarce
   • Compost and Recycling systems - space available for these in yard/lot
   • Exterior Lighting - use solar powered lighting where applicable and direct light downward to reduce light pollution
3. Sustainable Building Materials
   • Recycled content – building and finish materials should incorporate significant pre/post consumer waste into glass tiles, raw steel, crushed concrete, carpet, insulation, drywall, engineered lumber, counter tops, etc.
   • Locally or regionally produced – cabinetry, tile, lighting, paint
   • Rapidly renewable – Wood-based features should come from sources like bamboo or cork.
   • Durable -  solid wood cabinetry, re-finishable hardwood flooring
4. Energy Efficiency
   • Wall Construction – framing utilizes solid walls or thicker wall (2×6, ICF’s or SIP’s)
   • Roof -  Light colored Energy Star rated 30 year shingles or metal panel
   • Attic – well insulated poly-sealed to interior walls with Radiant Barrier roofing
   • Insulation – A nontoxic insulation, without formaldehyde, with a high R (heat resistance) factor in a home’s walls and ceilings prevents heat loss/gain during the year.
   • Windows – Dual-pane, high-performance insulated Energy Star compliant
   • Air Conditioning - 90% or higher efficient furnace, programmable thermostat,  insulated ducts, heat pump, radiant floor heating, ceiling fans, energy-efficient zoned air conditioner (SEER 14 or more)
   • Lighting – day-lighting, CFL’s, LED’s, skylights/solar-tubes, and/or motion detected lighting
   • Water Heating – Natural gas fired On-demand Tank-less or Solar Thermal
   • Windows and Doors – Windows and exterior doors should be Energy Star rated, and they should seal tightly to avoid heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter. Look for proper weatherstripping, caulking and ensure that there is no evidence of water penetration inside.
   • Renewable Energy – Ideally, the home would generate some of its own energy from renewable sources using technologies like solar photovoltaic panels, wind-turbines or solar thermal heating systems.
5. Water Conservation
   • Landscape – no/limited lawn, native plants, drip irrigation, gravel-scapes/zeri-scapes
   • Rainwater Harvesting System – particularly in drier regions where water is increasingly scarce
   • Faucets – high efficiency faucets use 2 gpm or less (or WaterSense certified)
   • Showerheads – high efficiency shower stalls use 2.0 gpm or less (or WaterSense certified)
   • Toilets – high efficiency low-flow toilets use 1.3 gpf or less  (or dual flush toilet)
   • Dishwasher – consumes less than 6 gallons per cycles (Energy Star labeled)
   • Clothes washer – front-loading (Energy Star certified)
6. Indoor Environmental Quality
   • Natural ventilation and day-lighting- via building orientation includes operable windows in all rooms to allow plentiful fresh air and natural light to reach at least 75% of the home’s interior.
   • No/low-VOC products – paint, primer, sealers, wood finishes, adhesives, carpet, padding
   • Formaldehyde-free products – cabinets, shelving, woodwork, insulation
   • Ventilation - exhaust fans that vent to exterior in all bathrooms, kitchen and garage kitchen fan, bathroom fan, whole-house fan
   • Air conditioner filtration -  MERV 8-12 or high-performance filter
   • Air condition ducting – sealed and insulated (verify by performing a Duct Blaster leakage test)
   • Carbon monoxide/smoke detectors – installed on each floor and near garage entrance
7. Certification and Testing
   • The home should be rated and certified by independent third party who can assess a score through a nationally recognized home rating systems
   • Testing methods – Thermal Imaging, Blower Door, Duct Blaster, Air Quality analysis, etc.
   • Department of Energy – Energy Star Home (% efficient over standard home)
   • US Green Building Council – LEED for Homes (Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum)

Notes:

• GPM – Gallons per minute
• GPF – Gallons per flush
• HVAC – Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
• LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
• VOC – Volatile organic compounds
• MERV – Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, commonly known as MERV Rating is a measurement to rate the effectiveness of air filters. The MERV rating for typical applications is shown below:
  • 20 – Cleanroom
  • 16 – General Surgery
  • 12 – Superior Residential
  • 11 – Commercial Office Buildings
  • 8 – General Commercial
  • 4 – Minimal Filtration

Source:

• US Green Building Council
• Green Home Guide