More home buyers want eco-friendly or “green” homes since the recession- NewsHerald.com

“I think it’s just basic economics,” said Tom Gladstone, Florida Association of Home Builders regional vice president. “People are just more concerned about how they are spending their money.”

Gladstone owns Tom Gladstone Homes in Panama City and is a certified green professional. People looking to buy a new home want one with lower utility bills, he said. Homes using energy-efficient materials save about 25 percent to 30 percent a month on utilities for homeowners, he said.

A McGraw-Hill Construction report released in March shows green construction is up nationwide, said Arlene Stewart, AZS Consulting president. Construction is down about 40 percent compared to this time last year, according to another McGraw report, but what is being built must be eco-friendly to sell, Stewart said. The company is certified to inspect houses for green construction, according to its Web site.

“All reports indicate if you want to sell, it’s going to have to be green in more than one way,” Stewart said. “It’s a choice between either selling your projects or not selling your projects.”

Gladstone said between more energy-efficient technology and federal tax credits to encourage efficiency, more builders are building greener homes in the past couple of years. The National Association of Home Builders has seen about 25 homes per week since it began its certification program last year. Four homes are U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED-certified. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a standard for determining how eco-friendly a home is.