Why Buy Green?
If you're like most people, you're concerned about the environment. You want to do the right thing in helping society reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. You care about what sort of world your children will inherit.
The Home of the Future doesn't just reduce energy use and carbon emissions. It provides a broad range of benefits to homeowners, home builders and the Sacramento community:
Learn about the specific features of the Home of the Future projects.
- Lower utility bills—Energy-efficient features will lower your home's energy use by 80 percent or more over a house built to minimum codes. This means your utility bills will be lower...much lower.
- Greater comfort—An energy-efficient building envelope reduces temperature differences and increases comfort.
- Better air quality—The use of low-volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitting materials and an engineered ventilation system greatly reduces your exposure to indoor contaminants.
- Increased durability—The Home of the Future is built with high-quality, low-maintenance materials and systems.
- Increased jobs—The Home of the Future uses sustainable products that are developed by local companies and provide direct benefits to the local economy.
Why Build a Green Home?
For more information about Green Programs see:
By joining SMUD in building a Home of the Future, a home builder gains:
- A competitive advantage—Be the first to learn new design details and features that reduce construction costs and increase performance.
- Knowledge about more efficient use of materials—New materials and construction techniques reduce waste and labor costs, helping to increase profits.
- Greater reputation and credibility—Produce quality homes that improve the value delivered to the homeowner and reduce environmental impacts.
- Reduced risks—New building techniques increase quality and durability, and reduce costly callbacks.
Environmental Benefits of a Green Home to the Community
The Home of the Future also benefits the environment by:
- Reducing peak demand—The Home of the Future reduces the need for generating expensive energy at times of highest demand, reducing the need for new capital investment in generation facilities and/or the purchase of additional power.
- Reducing the potential for future utility rate increases—By reducing peak power demand, SMUD saves money by not having to purchase as much power from other sources. This means less need for utility rate increases and price fluctuations.
- Helping to meet energy efficiency, solar and renewable energy requirements—The Home of the Future project, and the subsequent increase in energy-efficient homes with renewable energy technologies, help meet California's and SMUD's energy-saving goals.
By producing its own energy, each SMUD Home of the Future Home also comes with a big plus: the good feeling that comes with knowing you are directly reducing carbon emissions that contribute to global warming.
What's in it for SMUD?
SMUD is proud of its national reputation as a "green" utility. SMUD has been at the forefront of energy efficiency and renewable generation for decades. But with Sacramento expected to continue its rapid growth in coming years, SMUD also must find ways to reduce its need for purchased power during the hottest days of SMUD.
The Home of the Future is an investment in the future for SMUD. If we can work with builders and suppliers to create a market for these super-efficient homes, SMUD ensures a more sustainable environment for our customers.
