Green housing is probably the most important trend that currently characterizes the housing sector. Green housing presents certain advantages, like the reduced maintenance costs for medium term and for long-term. The financial investment is therefore smaller than in the case or regular housing. The positive environmental effect is probably the most important advantage of green housing.
But the situation is also accompanied by certain risks. For example, building a green house may require larger quantities of materials used in the actual construction. This may lead to increased construction costs. This reduces the financial efficiency of building a green house.
Other risks are related to living conditions. Green houses built with polyethylene, called polyhouses, provide reduced light conditions in winter and increased humidity in comparison with other types of houses (WVU, 2009). Such living conditions would prove to be health-threatening, especially on long-term.
In addition to this, in certain weather conditions polyhouses might collapse under wet snow. This risk is significantly reduced in the case of glass houses, but it still persists.
The construction of a green house should be performed under a strict operational plan. The construction costs must be estimated in advance, taking into consideration any price fluctuations. The Green Communities Initiative helps communities with such operational plans (NRDC, 2006). The operational plan must take into consideration the risks discussed above. It should answer to questions referring to the elimination of those risks.
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