Are you ready to start looking for one of the Miami Beach homes for sale to use as your primary residence or a vacation home? Do you want to make sure the home you purchase is safe and healthy for your family, but that it’s also not adding to the continued crisis of global warming affecting the Miami area? Though the best way to ensure you find a home that meets your many needs is to work with an experienced Miami Beach luxury real estate agent, having knowledge about important green home certifications can also give you peace of mind and help you streamline your home search. Here are some of the most important home certifications and what they mean for Miami Beach property.
Passive Homes
Passive Homes Institute US focuses on cultivating a climate-conscious network of professionals while working toward better energy efficiency in all building standards. By shifting the market toward high-performing passive buildings that use 40-60 percent less energy than conventional buildings, the overall health of the environment and living conditions can improve. Buildings that fall into PHIUS+ classifications have better indoor air quality, more resilience during power outages, and incredible sound insulation. Not only does Passive Homes Institute US focus on creating higher standards for single-family homes, but they also emphasize the importance of standardizing commercial construction to work toward more Net Zero buildings.
LEED Certification
Issued by the U.S. Green Building Council, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is arguably the most recognized designation in sustainable building. With nine different certification programs for retail, commercial, existing buildings, new and existing homes, LEED is considered one of the leaders when it comes to green recognition.
LEED homes are created by making building decisions that support sustainable, long-term energy efficiency. The US Green Building Council notes a few of the many ways that LEED certified homes provide solutions for healthier, safer homes, including superior insulation, water conservation, and proximity to public transportation. Crafted with forward thinking resilience-planning ensures that each LEED certified property is also designed to remain durable when facing extreme weather conditions.
Levels of LEED certification are as follows: LEED Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, and LEED Platinum. This rating system provides an easy-to-follow framework for high efficient, cost-saving buildings that are healthy for those who live, work, and play in them. Since 2015, LEED-certified buildings have provided an estimated $1.2 billion in energy savings, $149.5 million in water savings, $715.3 million in maintenance savings, and $54.2 million in waste savings. When you build or choose Miami Beach luxury real estate that is LEED-certified, you can be assured your property is a healthy space with clean air, free of harmful chemicals, and is energy efficient.
ENERGY STAR
As widely recognized as LEED, ENERGY STAR is a green building certification through the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. For a property to qualify for an Energy Star certification, it must be at least 15% more energy efficient than traditional properties. An ENERGY STAR certification is good for one year. When you buy a Miami Beach property that is ENERGY STAR certified, you get a property that provides wall-to-wall comfort, proven value, and enduring quality in the form of high-efficiency appliances, a full water management system, air that is free of pollutants and allergens, and better resale value.
You may also be able to qualify for an energy-efficient mortgage when you choose Miami Beach luxury real estate that is ENERGY STAR certified or when you make energy-efficient upgrades to a home at the time of purchase.
DOE Zero Energy Ready Home
Building on ENERGY STAR requirements as well as Building America best practices, DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes must be 40-50% more energy efficient than a typical new home and verified thus by a qualified third party. Before Miami Beach homes for sale can be certified DOE ZERH, they must comply with ENERGY STAR requirements regarding HVAC installation, thermal enclosure, water management, ENERGY STAR qualified appliances, high-performance window installation, and insulation. They must also follow stated recommendations for installing air conditioning ducts, conserving water, providing quality indoor air, and following the EPA’s solar electric guide.
Why buy a green-certified property?
There are a number of benefits to purchasing a home that has one (or more) of the above certifications. They include:
- Health benefits. Poor air or water quality is not good for you and your family, especially if you or other members of your family have asthma or other health conditions. A certified green home guarantees excellent ventilation and airflow as well as toxin-free building materials and no mildew or mold.
- Environmental benefits. With the growing global warming crisis affecting more and more owners of Miami Beach luxury real estate, buying a home that has reduced carbon emissions makes you a good steward of the environment.
- Cost savings. When you buy a home that is green-certified, you will pay less in energy costs due to energy-efficient building practices and appliances. In many cases, monthly water and energy bills in a green home are half of what they would be in a traditional house.
- Better resale value. Studies have shown that homes with a high-efficiency rating sell for an average of 2.7% more than those that are not rated highly. The majority of buyers are looking for homes that have energy-efficient (specifically ENERGY STAR-rated) appliances, windows, and lighting. Today’s buyers want an entire home that is ENERGY STAR-rated. When you buy a green-certified home, you can expect to get more out of it whether you plan to sell within a few years or a few decades.
- Federal and state tax incentives also encourage homeowners to seek home certification. For instance, installing solar panels is not only a long-term investment that will cut energy use and costs, but it always is tax-deductible.
Are you ready to start looking at Miami Beach homes for sale? Want to concentrate your efforts on those that have one of the above certifications and are as healthy for your family as it is for the environment? Reach out to a knowledgeable real estate agent like Ross Milroy who can help direct you to the right listings and decide which features are most important for your desired lifestyle. Ross has the experience and customer service skills to make your home search as enjoyable as it is successful.