A green home is a water and energy efficient home. Moreover it benefits the environmental concerns like handling consumer waste, conserving natural resources hence enhancing the occupant health, happiness and well being. A green home is one which uses less water, optimizes energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces for occupants, as compared to a conventional home.

Green homes - like IGBC certified homes - can have myriad benefits for your family, your environmental footprint, and your wallet. Generally, green homes are more comfortable and durable, more energy and water efficient, and have a smaller overall environmental footprint than conventional homes.

Yes, one can make an individual house as well as a multi dwelling home like an apartment building as a green home.

Indian Green Building Council

At the design stage before the construction work starts is the best time.

Water savings is around 30 % - 50 % of the normal building water consumption

Energy savings is around 20 % - 30 % of the normal building electrical consumption.

No it’s not to add all but adding those will increase more and more energy savings.

No for individual houses it doesn’t require.

Excellent indoor air quality and excellent day lighting view features of a green home mainly improves occupant health.

Yes, it does up to a maximum percentage of 15% of the project cost to get the maximum savings but the payback time is maximum 5 to 7 years. Perhaps surprisingly, good green buildings often cost only a few percentage points or no more to build than conventional designs. Integrated design processes that identify the most efficient, holistic approaches to building green can reduce these initial costs. For example, in some cases, when buildings are carefully designed to be energy efficient, heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) equipment can be downsized for significant savings. There are also many green products and materials that cost the same or even less than conventional ones.

Roof and wall insulation, external shading devices, Double Glazing Glass, Low VOC paints, LED T 5 Lamps, BEE 4 or 5 star rated products etc.

The energy used to power the buildings leads to the consumption of large amounts of energy, mainly from burning fossil fuels - oil, natural gas and coal which generate significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) which is the most widespread greenhouse gas. Reducing the energy consumption will indirectly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions produced hence slowing the pace of climate change.

IGBC Green Homes certified projects are the sum of enhanced environmental, economic, and occupant – oriented performance. They cost less to operate and maintain are energy - and water-efficient, are healthier and safer for occupants. A Green Home can have tremendous benefits, both tangible and intangible. The immediate and most tangible benefit is in the reduction in water and operating energy costs right from day one, during the entire life cycle of the building.

Tangible Benefits
» Energy savings: 20 - 30 %
» Water savings: 30 - 50%

Intangible Benefits
» Enhanced air quality
» Excellent day lighting
» Health & wellbeing of the occupants
» Conservation of scarce national resources

Suppliers of all major brands have green building products.

Green products have one or more characteristics like non toxic (less harmful chemicals), recycled content, long lifecycle and environmental conscious.

No, it doesn’t

No, green Home is not a zero energy building but a low energy building due to its efficient designing and material selection.

• The interest rate charged for a "green" home loan would be 0.25% lower than the rate charged for loans for non-"green" homes.
• The processing fee for a housing loan taken for a "green" house would be totally waived off.
• The margin money needed for such home loans would be 15% of the loan amount (against the normal 20%).

Economic Benefits
» Reduce operating cost
» Create, expand, and shape market for green products and services
» Improve occupant productivity
» Optimize life- cycle performance

Green homes high efficiency and performance can result higher property value and potentially lower lenders credit risk. A green home is more durable than most standard ones because of its efficient design, high-quality building materials and construction processes, requiring fewer repairs. A green home is a collaborative effort between the prospective resident and the architect and complete transparency in costs, timelines, functional requirements, aesthetic orientation and financial savings need to be achieved. Building green is all about selecting higher efficiency, lower impact, recycled or reused materials, with an eye on financial benefits over the entire lifecycle of the Home.

Green homes take the same amount of time to construct as regular homes. More time may be required in the design phase though.

The site is selected prior to commencement of the design phase. Ideally the design team involved in site selection assesses the appropriateness of the site relative to green design criteria. A team may decide if the site takes maximum advantages of solar access, existing vegetations and natural geological features as well as analyze the site’s accessibility from existing transportations corridors and its users.