One of the best ways to learn about green homes is to explore examples of real-world projects—by touring green homes or reading about them online. Completed projects can give you ideas for your own home. And we all benefit from hearing about not only the most successful aspects of model projects, but also about the lessons learned the hard way by homeowners or builders who have already “blazed the trail.”
The following websites feature free collections of case studies (or profile articles with in-depth information) on green homes around the country. Some of these sites showcase home renovations and remodels, as well as new homes.
- GreenBuildingAdvisor.com’s Green Homes case studies include technical data on energy use/savings, cross-section drawings for builders and designers, multiple photographs of each home’s features, and in-depth project descriptions. You can search for specific case studies by region, and there are categories for Remodels and Near-Zero-Energy Homes. Among the case studies are two that I wrote: one about a green addition and renovation in Pacifica, CA, and another about a beautiful solar home on the Oregon coast.
- LEED for Homes certified project profiles, new homes only (U.S. Green Building Council)
- Passive Houses (Passive House Institute)
- GreenPoint Rated remodel case studies (Build It Green, California)
- REGREEN remodeling projects and case studies (American Society of Interior Designers / USGBC)
- High Performance Buildings Database case studies (U.S. Department of Energy / BuildingGreen): Go to “Search Options,” then select “Building Type,” and choose “Single-Family Residential,” or search by location. Most of the case studies in this database are on commercial and institutional buildings.
- Mother Earth News: Green Homes section, which regularly includes articles that profile green home projects
In addition to the LEED for Homes, Passive House, and GreenPoint Rated certifications that are mentioned above, homes can also be certified under the rigorous Living Building Challenge program. The first home to achieve the Living Building Challenge certification is the Eco-Sense home in Victoria, British Columbia. The International Living Building Institute has posted this comprehensive case study on the Eco-Sense home.
Related Post: A previous post also lists websites that feature case studies on commercial/institutional green buildings.
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Another great site to see hundreds of videos on local green building projects is Green-Real-Estate.com. Videos are collected from site users, site editors, and internet searches. All content is reviewed by real green building experts.