To learn more about how much energy (like heating, cooling, and lighting) a home consumes and/or loses take a careful inventory of the house. Energy efficient features include:

• low emissivity (low-e) and double paned windows
• Energy Star appliances
• heating and cooling systems appropriately sized
• insulated ductwork and attic space
• doors and windows free of drafts
• presence of natural lighting
• deciduous trees growing on the south and west sides of home
• solar power
• passive solar orientation
• window awnings
• light colored exterior (to reflect heat)
• For more thorough, specific information, hire a third party home energy rater to perform an energy audit.

• Avoid houses with visible signs -or smells- of mold.
• Test for high levels of electromagnetic fields (EMF) throughout the house.
• Test the home for radon exposure.
• Look for well ventilated homes. This might include a house equipped with an energy recovery ventilator.
• Consider homes which “breathe” naturally, built with sustainable material such as rammed earth, adobe, straw-bale, or insulated concrete forms.
• Once you are living in your new home, make sure to use only non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning supplies. To save money, make your own cleaning solutions using basics such as vinegar, baking soda, and water.

One of the most important features an eco-friendly home should offer, especially here in our desert environment, is a conservation water system. Does the home offer: 

•  native, drought-tolerant landscaping
• rain-catchment and/or gray water system
• low-flow toilets
• on-demand hot water system
• water-saving shower heads and low-low faucet aerators

If a LEED certified home is outside your budget (which is the case for most buyers), consider greening a home, whether it be one that you are about to purchase or already own. Given that the floor plan works, and there are no major structural issues to tackle, eco-remodeling may fit within your budget. Ideas to consider:

• Replace existing allergen-producing carpet with sustainable flooring material like bamboo, cork, reclaimed hardwood flooring, stained concrete or Marmoleum.
• Paint walls with low or no-VOC paints. Check out Bioshield and American Clay for their clay-based paints and earth plasters. 
•  Insulate attic, caulk windows & baseboards, and weather strip doors. 
•  Install solar tubes for increased natural lighting. 
•  Purchase as many products as you can locally. Regionally produced products produce less embodied energy (like requiring less fuel for transport) and support the local economy.