By Tatiana Jiménez
Source: Excelcior 15-02-2010
Sustainable housing is a present necessity and is not far from the day when the green mortgages are mandatory, said Víctor Eduardo Pérez Orozco, assistant director of the Social Sustainability of the National Housing Fund Institute for Workers (INFONAVIT).
In interview, he stated that in a medium term, the institute will seek that the new environmental technologies that help in the conservation of natural resources to borrowers, become a new standard of housing across the country.
Pérez Orozco said the immediate problem to be solved in the housing sector in Mexico, is the lack of water, which requires that all homes have devices to save it.
Moreover, he said that for promoting sustainable housing, INFONAVIT has the product of green mortgage, its main incentive is the crest of credit, this is, 16 thousand dollars are awarded for each additional green mortgage delivered.
The interviewee noted that the idea is that we migrated to new eco-technologies in the medium term, because this leads to the saving of electricity, water and gas for borrowers.
The official explained that INFONAVIT works nowadays with different housing developers, so, in the near future the houses can count with these types of benefits and be a common element like a telephone.
Pérez assured that, in order to have more green houses, is that costs are not increasing in eco-technologies. The most expensive were the solar water heaters and they are getting cheaper.
Solar panels are getting cheaper, too. For example five years ago, you could get them for 600 dollars now they are 400.
“This amount for sustainable homes is quite reasonable”, Pérez said.
At the end of 2009, INFONAVIT granted 105 thousand 398 financing green mortgages, surpassing the 5.4 percent projected for the year.
This means that the loans granted with green mortgages accounted for 23.6 percent of total loans last year. Of that number, 67 thousand 468 were granted, meanwhile, with no subsidy, the institute closed with 37 thousand 930 last year.
In addition to the judicious use of natural resources and environmental preservation, INFONAVIT includes topics such as territorial planning and finance, its issues are beginning to be part of public housing in the country, concluded Pérez Orezco.
Last week INFONAVIT awarded prizes to the most active housing developers and had more credits individualized from the institute.
The first place was for Geo Corporation, placing on the market 36 thousand 299 mortgages, representing 70 percent more than its nearest competitor (HOMEX), that won 21 thousand 116 consolidated mortgages.
Geo also received recognition by the public housing institute as the developer that most green mortgages consolidated last year with more than 5 thousand.
These homes have solar heating equipment, light systems and water savers. The technology used in homes with green mortgages generates significant savings for lower income families where Geo has its main niche.
INFONAVIT will seek that the new eco-technologies that save resources be a standard. Sustainable housing is a current necessity and is not far from the day in which the green mortgages be obligatory, assured Víctor Eduardo Pérez Orozco, assistant director of the Social Sustainability of the National Housing Fund Institute for Workers (INFONAVIT).
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