How to Assess a Home’s Sustainability to Choose One That’s Right for You

Sustainability is more than just a popular factor in fashion and home decor these days—it’s also a parameter home buyers are using for determining whether a property is worth their investment. But do you have a good understanding of how this term applies to the systems and features in your home?

A sustainable home is one that is built or maintained with environmental impact in mind. The term ‘sustainability’ can mean many different things, and different aspects of sustainability are important to different home buyers. “There is a lot to say about sustainability,” says Andrew Legge, CEO of Havelock Wool. “Sadly, there is probably as much or more to say about the misuse and mischaracterization of what sustainability means.”

To help you evaluate a home’s sustainability, experts share the factors you should consider while house hunting.

What Does Home Sustainability Mean?

In general, sustainability in a home refers to the structure’s ability to efficiently use resources. Think about using as little electricity as possible to maintain your home’s temperature. Similarly, a home that conserves water and reduces waste is considered sustainable.

For many, these measures come down to your wallet. “Sustainability is great, but let’s be honest—most buyers care more about how much they’ll save on utility bills than whether a home is ‘green,’” says Becky Pendergrass, a real estate agent at Benchmark Realty, LLC.

Of course, there’s a little more to it than that. “A truly energy-efficient home will keep your bills low, your comfort high, and your resale value strong,” Pendergrass says.

Utility bills are one way to measure a home’s sustainability, but they don’t offer a full picture. Another way to look at sustainability in the home is to consider how efficiently your home’s systems and appliances work from your heating and cooling to your washer and dryer and even microwave. 

‘ENERGY STAR’ is a government-backed symbol used to indicate sustainable, energy-saving appliances in the home. The group works to identify and approve appliances and systems that are proven to use less electricity and emit less greenhouse gas, for example. 

Consider both the material features of the home, as well as the lifestyle factors. Not only do you want appliances and systems that work efficiently, you also want to make sure they’re in good shape. Homes with water leaks, or poor insulation, for example, won’t make for a sustainable home. 

Components to Look for While House Shopping

As you house hunt, you’ll want to consider all of the same features of your home that you look for when assessing its quality, but with an eye for sustainability. 

HVAC System: “In Nashville, where summers are brutally hot and winters are unpredictable, a bad HVAC system can make or break your budget,” Pendergrass says. “I always check the age and efficiency rating—if it’s old and inefficient, you’ll be paying for it every single month in high utility bills.”

Window Quality: Next, look at your home’s windows and insulation. Homes with new windows can help to maintain your home’s indoor temperature, limiting the amount of sunlight and heat that enters in the summer and trapping hot air inside in winter. 

“I once had a buyer fall in love with a 1920s bungalow, but after checking the windows and insulation, we realized their energy bills would be through the roof,” Pendergrass says. “Replacing windows and adding insulation isn’t cheap, so if a home already has energy-efficient upgrades, that’s a huge win.”

Proper Insulation: When it comes to insulation, outdated insulation can mean your HVAC system has to work harder. Mold and mildew in old insulation can also cause additional problems for your home. “More specifically, it is useful to know how the envelope was built, what materials were used, how heating and cooling is addressed and what alternative energy generation exists,” Legge says.

Smart Energy-Saving Features: Some newer features to look for are smart thermostats and solar panels, which can help save money long term. “A smart thermostat is a small but easy win for energy savings,” Pendergrass says. “Solar panels, on the other hand, can be tricky—if they’re leased instead of owned, they can actually make selling the home harder later on.”

Drafty Spots: Legge also suggests evaluating the overall “envelope” of your home. When it comes to heating and cooling, homes should be sealed against weather. “Air infiltration is a killer,” he says. “Seals around windows and doors are a great place to look.   Thereafter particular attention to crawl spaces and attics is important as these areas are very often overlooked on the maintenance schedule.” Rooms with drafts can be a bad sign of poor insulation and seals. 

Current Utility Costs: If you want to have a harder look, have your agent ask the current homeowner for samples of their utility bills to see whether the HVAC systems are up to par, says Forrest Webber, an Analyst at Plastic Fusion, a sustainable environmental containment company.

“Utility bills are a great way to tell, especially if you’re able to compare to your friends and family in the area. If your bill is much larger than a house of similar size, something is inefficient,” Webber says, adding that a high utility bill is the number one red flag for an HVAC system. 

How to Decide: Weigh the Pros and Cons

One consideration to make as you shop for your home is how much house you truly need. Legge points out that buying a home with rooms you rarely or never use is the opposite of sustainable because it requires energy expenditure on something that isn’t necessary, adding to your costs. 

“There are a lot of houses built with multiple spaces that are not used,” he says. “Perhaps don’t buy or build something you don’t need.”

If having a green home were as simple as wanting one, we’d all have it. However, money is a real consideration. “Achieving sustainability and high-performance is often not just about spending money,” Legge says. “ Like anything, higher quality materials cost more than lower quality ones.” 

With that in mind, make sure you can afford to fund necessary improvements to make your home sustainable and to maintain it. Finally, be sure to ask questions of your agent, and have an inspection done to get a true picture of your home’s sustainability. “Inspections should consider running costs and identify areas for improvement which will often be insulation or lack thereof,” Legge says. 

Sustainable Upgrades to Consider

If you find yourself in a home that’s less than green, there are a few key upgrades you can make to improve your home’s efficiency starting with its systems. 

Choose Energy-Saving Appliances: “Start with the big things—upgrade your appliances, plumbing fixtures and toilets to energy- and water-saving models,” says Jennifer Jones, principal designer at Niche Interiors. Of course, you can also look a bit deeper into the products you’re using in your space.

“Sustainable interior design focuses on improving indoor air quality, reducing the impact that furniture purchases have on the environment and conserving resources such as water and energy,” Jones explains. 

Consider Solar: Next, Webber suggests looking at the home’s HVAC system, and even consider solar power. “You can improve insulation, install solar panels, switch to smart thermostats, and more,” He says. 

Thoughtfully Consider New Elements: With sustainability in mind, take a look at the products you’ve purchased and be discerning when you make future buys. Products made with cheap wood might not have been sustainably sourced, for example. 

“When shopping for furniture, look for pieces that are either locally made or crafted in the U.S. to reduce your carbon footprint,” Jones says. “Look for the FSC label on wood furniture, which ensures that the wood came from responsibly managed forests. Furniture with a Greenguard certification means a product has low chemical emissions and contributes to healthier indoor air.” 

Be Mindful of Brands: Keep in mind that this level of detail with sustainability can be a bit of a rabbit hole. “Unfortunately, spotting sustainable choices is not always an easy task since many factors go into determining the sustainability of a material or product, such as where it’s made and shipped from, what it’s made of, and how it’s produced.”

If you want to get into the nitty-gritty, look for brands that are transparent about their sustainability practices and reporting to find furniture and homewares that are properly made and sourced. 

Adjust Your Lifestyle: Investing in expensive energy-saving appliances is not the only way to make your home more green. Simple lifestyle changes such as minimizing waste, composting, recycling, and buying secondhand items can all make a big impact.