A Sydney home builder says an increasing number of building a ‘green’ home designs are being requested from its prospective customers, and that’s not surprising because recent research from the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) suggests that Australians want sustainable homes.

The research found that when Australian home buyers describe what they want from their new home they talk about finding a home that is “comfortable”, a “healthy place for their family”, and that is “affordable”. These are all traits that can best be achieved with a sustainable green home.

ASBEC also found that “liveability/comfort” is by far the highest priority for home buyers, with “increasing property value”, “better energy/water efficiency” and “environmentally friendly” also ranking highly.

ANSA Homes managing director Mark Maloney says that more home buyers want environmentally friendly homes that are comfortable, affordable and healthier for their families; all of which can be achieved with a green home.

“We’ve found that many people want to build a sustainable home, but they aren’t quite sure what this involves beyond solar panels on the roof or double glazing to the windows. In, fact there are many more steps builders can take to make a new home truly energy-efficient, while simultaneously increasing the value of the property.”

“If you’re genuine about making your new home more energy-efficient and sustainable, you need to start with the design. From the foundations to the last tile on your roof, every element needs to be considered and tailored to reduce not only our impact upon the planet, but our reliance upon appliances to heat or cool a home.”

“Even though some green features can increase the cost of building your new home, you can save money on mortgage payments as banks have started to recognise the value in sustainable homes and are discounting interest rates by up to 0.4 percent,” says Maloney.

A study conducted by the University of Melbourne has shown that by upgrading to a 7-star energy efficient rating, many homeowners can add a further 9.4 per cent to their selling price.

A comparative study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that every 0.5 star increase in the rating of a home, can increase its value by $22,000.

Image: ANSA Homes