Santa Cruz County Home & Community Information

Green is the New Black!  Green Homes & Eco Friendly Homes in Santa Cruz, CA

What is a Green Home?  Green building and green technology has really taken off in California.  Living in a place like Santa Cruz, CA where the mindset is very environmentally conscious, green living and green homes are popular.  In Santa Cruz there is not a lot of new home construcion so many homeowners look to retrofit their homes with green materials.

There have been new green homes and eco-friendly homes built in Santa Cruz.   There is small development of  new green homes for sale on Dawn Ln in Soquel.  They are built with sustainable materials and have solar panels and energy star appliances. 

In Capitola, this eco-friendly home was built partially out of hay bales!  Hay bale construction provides great insulation and is an eco-friendly material.  The home has a passive solar design as well as solar panels to take advantage of natural resources and energy.

What are some of the features of green homes that is different from a regular home?

First of all how a green home uses and gets it's energy is a focal point.  Most green homes have solar panels and on demand hot water systems.  By using solar and tankless hot water heaters you can have an electricity bill of $10 per month! 

Green homes or Eco Friendly Homes are built with sustainable materials and recycled materials.  Sustainable or recycled materials in Green homes can be bamboo floors, carpet made from recycled plastic bottles, soy spray foam insulation, fiber-cement composite roofs (some have a 50+ year life), and much more.  There are so many great products you can use to build your eco friendly home.  I recommend speaking with a local Santa Cruz General Contractor about constructing or remodeling your green home or visit Santa Cruz Construction.

Another feature in a Green Home or Eco Friendly Home can be water conservation.  Water Conservation is a priority in California and and is a great feature to have in a Green Home or any home.  You can use a rainwater catchment system to store rainwater and there are systems that recycle your greywater for other uses.  There is a great local company in Santa Cruz, Allterra, that provides water catchment systems and grey water systems for homeowners.  Contact Alterra and they can help a homeowner green their home with water systems and solar panels.

 Finding a Green Home or Eco Friendly Home in Santa Cruz is getting to be easier.  More and more people are using environmentally friendly materials to construct or remodel their home.  Solar panels are ever more popular, especially with some of the new tax incentives and solar financing programs.

For a list of Eco-Friendly or Green Homes for Sale in Santa Cruz County, please contact me.