When I wrote about home shows on television yesterday, I mentioned in passing that Planet Green had several shows about housing. These run back-to-back on Fridays, and are called: "World's Greenest Homes," Greenovate," and "Renovation Nation."
In a fragile housing market, sales of new homes dropped to a 13 year low nationwide and were down 45% last year in Santa Clara and San Benito counties. But recently seven of the nine houses in San Jose's Orchard Heights Development sold on the first weekend they were open. These houses in the Evergreen area started at around a million dollars. What makes these homes different? Developments such as Orchard Heights and Falcon Place in Willow Glen have integrated solar roofs, thicker insulation in the attic and walls, low-emittance dual-pane vinyl windows, and "smart" thermostats. They also feature energy efficient appliances and water saving plumbing.
Buyers may not choose a home strictly because of these green, environmentally friendly features, but if the price, location and floor plan are what they want, being green is a bonus.
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