I've been wondering that about all these green residential programs.

What's the value in having your home rated "green"? Pay the extra money for the rating process, deal with the paperwork and the people that actually do the rating (waiting for them to come out to the jobsite, paying travel fees, etc.).

It would much easier to just install a tankless water heater and solar panels.

I understand the motivation for a commercial builder. Businesses use it as a marketing tool to sell products:

"Look at us, we're good stewards of the enviroment. We operate out of a 'green' building. Buy my product."

But couldn't you market a "green" home without the "green" rating? The energy saving features alone seem to be the marketable aspect of these homes when they hit the market.

Will a highly rated "green" home sell faster than a home that's just simply more energy efficient? I think the homeowners are going for simple energy efficiency, rather than a rating.

What do you think?

*** Good question Conor, and I think for the educated consumer, simply doing what you know your home needs to be more efficient and environmentally friendly is a great idea. But, for "laypeople" rating systems are one of the only ways of ensuring that a home or product meets some reasonable standard of "green-ness" or energy efficiency. Yes, homeowners just want to know that the home is more efficient than another home. But considering that *gasp* not all businesspeople are honest and reputable - how else other than rating systems does a consumer know their home is REALLY efficient?