All of the residential design improvements, building science research, product development, construction quality improvements, and high-performance features resulting from an industry on a green mission won’t matter if we can’t create a clear path to the marketplace. And while we can point to steady progress through the growing numbers of homes certified under Energy Star for Homes, LEED for Homes, Environments for Living, and the National Green Building Standard along with numerous regional programs, nobody would say that home buyers are demanding sustainable features beyond energy efficiency yet. The hurdles facing market penetration are complex. First-time costs and payback periods are still the measures most buyers look at in justifying purchasing decisions, and so it is for home builders too. The appraisal and mortgage sectors are identified as key players, and many say that until they are educated, engaged, and equipped with updated regulatory guidelines they will “bottleneck” our progress. And policies that could accelerate progress on all levels like tax incentives, environmental imperatives, and business subsidies are unstable due to political differences that lead to inaction, where action and urgency are needed. This focus area will explore the complex elements that will be required to bring sustainable products, practices, and housing to the marketplace, the levels we can reach by 2020, and the pace we need to establish to reach further sustainability goals.
As vice president of energy efficiency and sustainability at Top 10 production home builder Meritage Homes, Herro has led his company’s mission to bring high-performance homes into the marketplace, and sell them.
DOE Building Technologies Program chief architect Sam Rashkin reflects on his experience growing the Energy Star program in the U.S. and what lessons it brings, similarly, to the growth of the Passive House Standard in the nation’s building market.
As vice president for Residential Market Development for the USGBC’s LEED for Homes program, Nate Kredich has a unique perspective on the path toward market transformation for high-performance homes.
Analysis shows that legislation could increase market transformation by 2% in 2013 and create 25% sustained levels by 2020.
Living Cities, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation study demonstrates energy and financial savings from multifamily project upgrades in New York.
New study says updates to national efficiency standards can provide substantial financial and environmental benefits.
New green product database communicates sustainability at the retail level.
IMT estimates that every dollar spent on energy code compliance and enforcement yields $6 in energy savings.
Here’s the good news: 37% of all new homes sold in 2010 were HERS rated--a substantial jump from a mere 12.2% in 2008. Of course, there are a lot fewer homes being built these days, but as Cliff Majersik at the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) points out, the figures still represent a...
Cliff Majersik, Executive Director, Institute for Market Transformation
As the Executive Director of the Institute for Market Transformation Cliff Majersik directs IMT’s research into green building, energy efficiency, and property value, as well as educational outreach to finance, appraisal, and real estate sectors. Mr. Majersik also provides expert assistance to federal, state and local officials in developing energy and building policy and legislation. He was a leader in crafting Washington's Energy Act of 2008 and Green Building Act of 2006.