Portland Green Home Certifications – Demystified

It’s a green spring in Portland – vibrant parks, happy gardens, and more home buyers shopping for green homes, too.

A recent real estate survey found that 60% of buyers list green or sustainable features as a must-have in their dream home, and in Portland, eco-consciousness runs deep. Home buyers, whether they’re purchasing their first home or finding a place to retire in, want to know that their home is free of toxic materials, isn’t going to be an resource hog, and is space-efficient for their needs.

To sort the green from the green-washed (touting sustainability with little to back up the claims), a number of certifications exist. Most of them are for new construction, but remodels can qualify, too.

You may already know some home certifications — Northwestern Energy Star is one. They certify only energy efficiency on new construction, with standards requiring efficiency 15% greater than what building codes require. Building codes continue to get greener year by year, so this designation is fantastic as it keeps pushing green home innovations one step farther.

Another green certifier that’s almost become a household name is LEED, and their program is far more comprehensive. LEED was developed by the US Green Building Council and is based on a points system, with buildings earning points for everything from water conservation to use of recycled building materials. Their standards are stringent, and to date, LEED has only been applied to 7,000 buildings nationwide. Of those, 172 are LEED-certified homes in Portland.

Portland is unique in that we have our own non-profit organization, Earth Advantage, that certifies hundreds of green buildings and homes every year. Like LEED, Earth Advantage uses a points systems to verify that new homes and remodels meet their five pillars of certification: Energy, Health, Land, Water and Materials. In 2013, Earth Advantage-certified homes averaged 28% more energy efficient than the average home built to Oregon building code.

For homeowners, Earth Advantage’s Remodel Certification offers clear standards for improving your home’s sustainability while performing needed upgrades, which can help boost resale value! In fact, the Portland RMLS service has a field to designate the green certification status of a home to make it easier for real estate agents and home buyers to identify them.

Earth Advantage offers real estate agent accreditation, too — and it’s on my list of 12 designations I offer my clients. Whether you’re shopping for a home and need guidance on green features, or are looking to sell and not sure whether your home needs a green boost, an Earth Advantage agent can help. With this training, I can walk you through identifying which home features and building products provide greater energy, water, and resource efficiency. I know the terms and can tell the green from the simply green-washed, communicating the benefits of green and high performance home features to potential buyers.

Put a spring in your step knowing that your home is healthy for you, your neighbors, and your family. Contact your Earth Advantage-certified Portland real estate agent today. See all twelve of my designations here.