Question

• can a "green home" be built cheaper than a standard home? How do you make your comparison; shorter vs. long-term costs?

• Should indoor air quality be a concern for home occupants? Will families be interested in materials that decrease chances for allergies and asthma?
• Do a brief Internet search...Can you find out how many cities in the US have "green building" or "sustainable" building codes presently?

Answer 1

Green is often less expensive depending on the materials used. Conventional building materials are more durable. On the other hand, photovoltaic and solar hot water panels are expensive.

In the long term, definitely green houses are economical and tend to become cheaper and self sustainable to meet it's energies.

Indoor air quality is certainly a concern for home occupants, interior designs that use composite materials, energy-efficiency products and the HVAC unit. If solar power is used, then no additional heater or boiler is needed that use electricity. Any air conditioning systems, stove, geysers and air filter's energy can be directly consumed from solar power hence keeping carbon emissions low and keeping air quality clean.

Advanced and green energy codes direct the design and construction of sustainable buildings that go beyond the minimum code requirements to reduce energy.

Few cities in America

1. Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code

2. Vermont’s minimum state energy code

3. Oregon Reach Code (ORC) contains both residential (ORRC) and commercial (OCRC) provisions

4. San Francisco: requires LEED Gold certification.

5. Boston: requires LEED rating system.