A new-home look, plus sustainable savings.
What is a Sustainable Home?
Sustainable homes are Zero Energy Ready Homes. Zero Energy Ready Homes are cost-effective, high performance residences built to provide a healthy living environment with a level of energy efficiency, comfort and durability. Despite the progressive nature of these homes, they look just like a typical new home. The difference comes from the construction, insulation and integration of technology, which allows for cleaner air, more evenly distributed temperatures and a quieter home.
Why Choose a Sustainable Home from Allan Custom Homes?
Environmentally Friendly
Residential and commercial buildings alone are responsible for 40% of the total energy used in the United States. Sustainable, zero energy homes contribute to a reduced carbon future that does not rely on fossil fuels.
Energy Efficient
Our Sustainable Homes are the most energy efficient homes without having solar panels. They are about 50% more energy efficient than a typical home. To ensure these homes meet the standards they need to, we use an independent 3rd party rater to verify compliance with DOE Net Zero Ready home requirements.
Long-Term Cost Savings
It’s estimated that your cost-savings in utilities when purchasing a sustainable home will equate to about $42,000 over the life of a 30-year mortgage; or an estimated $1,241 annually with a minimum code compliant house. These homes also reduce the cost of your property taxes and home insurance.
Low-Maintenance, Comfortable Living
These homes are specifically designed to maximize comfort while minimizing any rudimentary maintenance. This is achieved by the way we construct and design our sustainable homes. In addition, we integrate technology with all of our energy-efficient homes, so our homes work smarter, not harder, allowing you more time to enjoy your home instead of catering to an endless checklist of tweaks and fixes.
When we build our sustainable homes, we go the extra mile. Not only do our homes meet Zero Energy Ready standards, we consider energy conservation and functionality from the moment we start designing our sustainable homes; from the interior layout of the home to the materials used on the home’s exterior. At Allan Custom Homes, we optimize our homes for any future renewable energy integration, such as solar panel installation, so if you choose to install solar panels in the future, it’s seamless!
Watch our founder and CEO discuss the details of our sustainable homes on an episode of Alliant Energy’s PowerHouse TV:
What’s the Difference Between a Sustainable Home and a Green Home?
People tend to use the words “green” and “sustainable” interchangeably. However, green homes and sustainable homes are two different things.
A home is considered a green home when it helps reduce the footprint it leaves on the natural environment. Green home design includes building for energy efficiency, including the use of renewable energy sources such as wind, water, or solar.
On the other hand, sustainable homes create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony. The importance of sustainability lies in the “future” factors, which set a higher standard than those used to define green home building. Only a house that meets zero energy standards, with zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions, can be considered sustainable.
In other words, a sustainable home is always a green home BUT a green home is not always considered a sustainable home.