IRE International Real Estate Corp. is one of the first green building developers in the Tampa Bay Area in Florida. Based in sunny Clearwater our goal is to develop residential homes that are energy efficient, conserving and minimizing the use of energy and water.

Building green homes means using design and construction techniques to achieve energy and water efficiency, healthy indoor air quality, inclusion of products that are better for the environment, and reduced material waste. Sustainable building offers many benefits to homeowners. Use of energy-efficient appliances and construction techniques will significantly lower home energy bills. Resource-efficient design reduces material costs and waste generated during construction. Indoor air quality can be improved by avoiding construction materials and finishes that contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde. Buying products that are durable, sustainably produced, or made from recycled materials can lower lifetime costs as well as the burden we place on natural resources. Landscaping with strategic placement of trees can increase comfort and cut energy bills. The need for watering and weeding is reduced with the use of native plants.

The Cost of Green

Sustainable design, also called “green” or high performance building, provides economic, human and community benefits as well as reduced environmental impacts.

• Economic benefits. Green buildings may be easier to finance because they are designed to be durable, flexible, and healthy. In addition, the lifetime costs are lower. Energy efficient and water conserving strategies yield operational savings for the lifetime of the building. Integrated design strategies allow tradeoffs that can reduce first costs.
   
• Human benefits. Daylighting, improved air quality, greater thermal control, and other indoor environmental quality strategies typically improve owner satisfaction. Greater satisfaction often leads to increased productivity and morale, decreased turnover, and reduced absenteeism.
  

  Nonetheless, concerns about the potentially higher first costs of building green have overshadowed the acceptance of sustainable building strategies. Now, however, several new studies demonstrate that green buildings are not more expensive to build, and the lifetime benefits of these buildings are significant.