Going Green Pays Dividends for Westport Homeowners

More people are interested in building and buying energy-efficient homes, according to Trillium Architects’s Elizabeth DiSalvo. “Right before the recession in 2008, people started asking for it [energy-efficient homes], and then the recession threw it off,” she says. “As soon as the recession ended, people were totally into it.” Whether trying to save money on energy costs or making environmentally friendly choices, people are working toward energy efficiency from small energy retrofits to building “over the top” new green homes. Although it is still difficult to assess the resale value of energy efficient improvements, DiSalvo is working to educate real estate agents and clients about their value. As a member of the Connecticut Green Building Council, DiSalvo also is trying to “green” the Multiple Listing Service. Not all energy efficient technologies are embraced equally. Though solar panels help reduce electricity costs, some homeowners feel they are unattractive. Nonetheless, clients are looking for energy-efficient homes, according to Mid-Fairfield County Association of Realtors president Cheryl Scott-Daniels. The U.S. Green Building Council reports that energy-efficient green homes cost the same or less than conventional homes to build, and currently just under 50 percent of new LEED certified homes are in the affordable-housing sector, indicating green technology is being incorporated at all housing levels. | Read More