A Tennessean story that caught our attention this week: “Home builders go green with energy-efficient, environmentally friendly features.”
Those builders are definitely seeing the same thing we’re seeing: More and more in recent years, Nashville home buyers are feeling particular about their home’s energy footprint, and looking for energy-efficient upgrades, from Energy Star-certified appliances and low-e windows to foam insulation, tankless water heaters, sealed crawl spaces and smart thermostats.
And that’s true all across the country, according to business/finance outfit Kiplinger, whose March rundown of “Features Home Buyers Want Most” showed that 90 percent of buyers are looking for energy-efficiency when they’re hunting for a new home.
Are environmentally friendly details high on your list as you’re shopping for a new Nashville-area home? The MLS listings below might have what you’re looking for.
710 Buchanan St Unit 2
Nashville, TN 37208
$400,000
Energy Star-certified homes have to meet strict guidelines to get their designation: efficient ducting, walls, windows, heating and cooling equipment, lighting and on and on. So a certified cottage like this one in Salemtown, built in 2015, is going to have a lot to offer those looking for green details. Specifically, here: cellulose insulation, sealed ducting, a tankless water heater and more.
515 Church Street
Nashville, TN 37219
$540,000
The 505 skyscraper downtown is big — it’s the tallest residential building in Nashville — and they went big on the green details, too: A double-skin facade with an internally ventilated cavity, solar shading, integrated photo-voltaic panels, under-floor air distribution and a whole host of other forward-thinking approaches went into the construction, earning the 505 a LEED certification. So the owners of units like this 1-bed, 1-bath condo can feel exceptionally green about their purchase.
718 Shelby Ave
Nashville, TN 37206
$624,899
With all their charms, historic homes always come with a collection of quirks, too — often including some challenges on the efficiency front, like drafty windows and doors and under-insulated walls. So it’s nice when you see a renovation like this one: This 1920 bungalow in East Nashville was remodeled with an eye on efficiency, so you’ll find new windows, a tankless heater, and lots of other details that added up to an Energy Star certification.
700 12Th Ave S Unit 711
Nashville, TN 37203
$950,000
Buyers who are really particular about environmentally friendly attributes generally seek LEED-certified homes, which are built with a wholesale focus on the greenest of pastures: From the paint to the fixtures, a LEED home has taken the extra step. Only about 3400 properties earn that designation across the country in a year, so it’s significant, and special. Among the LEED-certified buildings in Nashville: Gulch building Terrazzo, which was downtown’s first LEED high-rise. Its units have dual-flush toilets and Low VOC paints and lots more. And, as this 3-bed, 3-bath unit makes clear, they’re beautiful, too.
9599 Romano Way L-109
Brentwood, TN 37027
$1,249,000
When you’re looking at a really large home — like this nearly 8000-square-foot luxury property in Brentwood’s Tuscany Hills — it seems obvious to consider energy efficiency. Even with a sizable budget and financial stability, who wants to be wasteful, heating and cooling that much square footage? As The Tennessean noted, builders aren’t ignoring those considerations — which is why a new build like this one includes spray foam insulation, low-flow fixtures and more.
Is energy efficiency/LEED or Energy Star certification high on your list of new-home must-haves? We’d love to help you find the perfect new home in Nashville. Reach ACRE here, or for an easy way to get started on your Nashville househunting journey, fill out this quick form.
Listings via MLS, not under agreement with ACRE and/or Benchmark Realty, LLC, except where noted.