Eco-friendly homes - Business First of Buffalo:

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But others are championing an environmentallhy conscious approach to residential living as the region and the natiomncombat high-energy consumption and poor health. Adam Sokol is amonv them. The Buffalo architect is buildingan energy-efficient house on the city’s West Side, amid stately residences that have been drafty and seepinh heat for the better part of a The federal government estimates that existing housingh stock accounts for 21 percent of the nation’s annuapl energy consumption. Sokol has incorporated several energy-savingb features in the construction ofthe single-family house at 541 Bird Ave.
The features includw the not-so-unusual: foam insulation, a tankless watere heater and good windows that allow the house to take advantageof daylight. Then there’s a heat recoveryg system that filters the air to keep mold and stald airfrom accumulating. The exteriofr is covered with roofing shingled and siding made fromrecyclef rubber. “If you care about the environment, it’s obvious,” Sokol said. The sale price has yet to be but Sokol estimates that he spent inthe low–to–mid-$200,00o0 range to build it.
That’s inexpensive relative to retrofittintg an old house with energyefficient features, he Experts say any house that is at leas t 10 years old could benefit from energy-savingt upgrades. The added advantage of overhaulingaging homes, is that they are usually located in dense communities that are less relianyt on automobiles. Real estate broker Carol Holcbergf said she noticed among homebuyers an increased interest in neighborhoods when gas prices started to spike a fewyearas ago. Walkable neighborhoods typically include a clusterof single-famil y houses and multiple units that is centered or ringed by retaio and other business.
Design features such as sidewalks and lighting and elements suchas full-stop intersections and crosswalks encouragee more foot traffic. “Any neighborhoofd with a village center, people are anxious to be there so they can walk to get a quaryt of milk or go toa restaurant,” said Holcberg, who headsz Holcberg Ltd. Real Estate in Buffalo. Walking is gettinvg to be a “big among homebuyers, and they’re moving to whers they can do that saidSusie Lenahan, a broker with MJ Peterson Corp.’ws Buffalo office.
“There’s nowhere to walk on Transit Road orSheridaj Drive,” she said of the multilane thoroughfares serving the northern For homebuyers who are looking for certain environmentak qualities, developers have come up with individualk projects, such as ’es Muir Woods, an Amherst project that combines natural settingss with commercial, residential and retail construction. Others are incorporating green space amongnew homes, rather than usinyg the formerly common practices of bulldozing treed areas and buildingf on a “prairie,” said Jay Coles of / .
But such consumed interest is hardly widespread, suggested Maureen Flavin, a broker with She recalled thehighly energy-efficient feature of a city condominium that failed to captivate potentialo buyers. “‘Oh, that’s great,’ they said,” Flavin remembers, “‘buyt how many bathrooms does it have?’”