While “going green” once appealed only
to a small minority of do-gooders, the
trend is increasing across the board. A
2007 poll of registered voters conducted
by the American Institute of Architects
(AIA) “revealed that 90 percent of respondents
said they would be willing to pay
$5,000 more for a house that would use
less energy and protect the Earth.”
Wanting to serve as better stewards of
the planet is more than a noble gesture; it
is becoming a necessity. In his 2007
Texas Trends Report prepared for the Texas
Society of Architects, Arthur “Chris” Nelson,
Ph.D., identified two economic incentives
prodding the greening up of the
building industry: Energy is no longer
cheap, and greater international competition
for both energy and materials is forcing
attention to the sustainability of structures.
The National Association of Realtors’ 2007
Profile of Buyers’ Home Feature Preferences
found more than “90 percent of recent
home buyers thought energy
efficiency was an important consideration.”
To assist with this movement, the National
Association of Home Builders
(NAHB) unveiled the association’s new
Model Green Home Building Guidelines
at the February International Builders’
Show in Orlando. The green guide covers
all aspects of home construction – from
foundations to rooftops. Suggestions include
such tips as installing front-loading
washing machines because they use “about 40 percent less water and half the
energy of conventional models.”
Outside the home, tree preservation is recommended
to reduce energy costs, as well
as to improve the environment: One tree can
filter 60 pounds of pollutants from the air
each year. Landscaping with native plants,
or xeriscaping, is encouraged to reduce
usage of water, fertilizer and herbicides.
The trend toward green is translating
into a rising interest in eco-friendly features
for kitchens, such as bamboo and
cork flooring and concrete and bamboo
countertops, says Kermit Baker, Ph.D., the
AIA’s chief economist.
NAHB identifies green flooring trends on
its Web site: “In addition to natural wood,
flooring choices include low-VOC (volatile
organic compounds) carpets for better indoor
air quality, laminates that successfully
mimic scarce hardwood and
linoleum, a natural product making a design
comeback.” A 2007 AIA survey of
residential architects concluded the most
popular product for reducing energy costs
was the tankless water heater.
Harnessing advances in technology to
automate the home is a green trend that
was the subject of a workshop presented
at the Florida show by Josh Christian,
chairman of education outreach for the
Custom Electronic Design and Installation
Association. Activating “Away” and “Vacation”
settings can conserve energy by controlling
thermostats and turning off lights
and media systems. Light and motion sensors
can turn unnecessary lights off or
down, and lights can be set to turn on at
97 percent, which doubles lamp life.
NAHB predicted that more than half of
its members, responsible for more than 80
percent of the homes constructed in this
country, would be incorporating green
practices into new residences by as early
as the end of 2007.
An online Green Scoring Tool for evaluating
how a home’s “green-ness” rates can
be found at www.nahbgreen.org/Scoring-
Tool.aspx.
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