But even if you don't own a green home, you may be able to get a low-cost energy audit from your local utility. A quality audit, or home energy rating, will provide you with specific measures to maximize energy savings. Doing these things can bring up to 65 percent in energy savings, according to Howard Associates. Decreasing Water Demand Green homes use about half as much water as typical buildings constructed in the 1980s. That's important because reservoirs and aquifers are shrinking in many areas due to overdevelopment.
Homes use hundreds of gallons of water each day.
Landscaping is another potential big area for water savings, through the use of drought-resistant plants. Environmental Woods Single family homes represent the largest market for solid wood products in the United States. In 1992, an estimated 41.3 million cubic meters of lumber were consumed in the construction of slightly more than one million homes. This drive for lumber has serious impacts on the planet's forests. Ecobuilders look for more environmentally sustainable ways to use wood.