Houzz spoke with 12 pros, Including ZED's Jordan Goldman, about which sustainable features homeowners should consider to cut energy use and reduce their carbon footprint. Architects, builders, interior designers and landscape designers were interviewed and also discussed the sustainability solutions they’re most excited about.

ZED’s Jordan Goldman, provided the following thoughts:

Sustainable features ZED uses. “Our main focus for sustainability is reducing the carbon footprint of our buildings. [That applies to] both operational carbon — due to the energy demand — and the embodied carbon — due to the materials involved in the project’s construction,” Jordan Goldman says.

Location: Inman Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Services: PHIUS+ Energy Consulting and Mechanical Design for a New Modern Single Family Home

ZED visited a site in Cambridge to check out the progress of the home’s air barrier. ZED’s Jordan Goldman, who provided energy consulting and mechanical design for the three-story, single family house, led the site visit along with representatives from ZRE Development (Owner) and GRS Construction (Framer). Site visits like this during construction are important both for catching any errors before the building enclosure is complete and for educating builders about proper technique going forward in the process.