Although the construction industry had a dark year in 2009, green building seemed to stand out and shine in some way. According to the Multiple Listing Service date, certified sustainable green new homes actually increased last year in North West Coast areas like Portland and Seattle. This trend is expected to spread throughout the United States and green building is expected to grow within new home sales. New home sales are already on the rise from the previous year, and March 2010 saw the biggest jump in new home sales in 47 years. So what trends can we expect to see in 2010 in new green homes?
1. Home energy control panels. The growing demand for energy efficient homes, the development of a personalized web-based display panel inside the home, will show the energy use in the home in real time. This sophisticated product can break down the real-time energy use of homeowners’ appliances, helping homeowners change the way they use their electricity. For example, the way a miles per gallon gauge on an electric car encourages the owner to adapt their driving habits, new homes that offer these dashboards can encourage owners to achieve lower energy use. The dashboards will also increase the likelihood that green homeowners will achieve the energy performance score.
2. Labeling of energy efficient green homes. Like the miles-per-gallon label you’ll encounter when searching for a new car, energy rating systems for new homes have become popular with legislators. This energy rating system will make it easier for home buyers to see the energy efficiency of one green home compared to another. The score for each house will be available in the MLS.
3. Lenders and green homes deliver better results. Lenders have concluded that green new homes are better for their bottom line. Seeing a trend for green homeowners to be more responsible and less likely to default on a loan, due to the fact that most green homeowners are more responsible and likely place a higher value on home maintenance . Homeowners are also less likely to default due to the decreased energy cost within their green home. Lenders are now working to obtain low-rate loans and insurance packages for new green homeowners.
4. Less is more. When the housing market was booming, bigger houses led to more equity. However, since the “bubble burst”, this is no longer the case. Given that energy prices are expected to rise over time and the Federal Reserve is likely to raise interest rates during 2010, home buyers are likely to be more comfortable with smaller new homes.
5. Water conservation. Did you know that residential water use accumulates in more than half of the public water supplied? EPA decided in December 2009 to implement WaterSense. WaterSense specifies that new homes will need to reduce water use by 20 percent than conventional new homes. Mandatory energy labeling in Europe already documents water efficiency.
6. Net Zero Homes. A home with net zero is a green home that generates more energy than it uses in a year. This is done by building a fairly small new house that is extremely energy efficient and uses renewable energy on site such as wind, solar or geo-swap systems.