What is a Certified Green Professional and Why Should I Use One to Build My Home?

Homeowners and homebuyers are increasingly looking for professionals, such as contractors and architects, who are qualified to provide green services. Why? Well, for most people the word "green" simply means environmentally friendly, but it also means energy efficient. An energy efficient home requires less energy to accomplish the same goals, such as heating and cooling. As a custom home builder, less energy use means more money left in your back account every month. So building a new home that is energy efficient not only provides the new owner with a sense that they are saving the environment, but also allows them to spend less on the monthly bills that accompany homeownership.

So what is a Certified Green Professional?

As you begin looking for a contractor to help you design and build your new home, check to see if the contractor is a Certified Green Professional (CGP). CGP is a designation given by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) as a way to recognize builders, remodelers and other industry professionals who incorporate green building methods into homes. This is not a designation given lightly, and often requires course work that focuses on green building methods, and tools to implement these methods for consumers.

How can a CGP help me build my home?

There are many ways to make your new custom built home more energy efficient, and as you begin to design and build your new custom home, you will need an expert to provide you with the information you need. A CGP can provide you with information and guidance, that a non-certified contractor simply will not possess. As discussed in previous articles, going to a home show can provide a wealth of information, but you only have access to those experts for the duration of the show. Using a CGP will provide you with reliable important information at every step of the building process. A CGP can answer questions that non certified firms cannot, and a CGP will also suggest energy saving methods and appliances that will make your home safer and most cost effective.

What methods do CGP contractors offer?

As a CGP, Built Green Custom Homes specializes in ways to build your new custom home in the most energy efficient way possible. They offer solar power installation, as well as implementing a variety of energy saving devices, such as sealed combustion furnaces, tankless water heaters, and geothermal heating pumps. They also offer environmentally friendly construction methods that will make your home more cost effective to run, such insulated concrete form homes, solar orientation, and advanced framing.

It is important to know what you want in your new custom home. Unfortunately, there is a lot of information that must be processed before new home builders can arrive at what they want. A CGP, like Built Green Custom Homes, can provide the information new home builders need in order to make the best decisions for their future.