Green Building Trends for Homes

Residents of Salt Lake city have an increasing eye on reducing waste and creating energy-efficient heating systems, so it might not be as surprising to know that the green building market has been steadily increasing over the past few years, and in years to come is expected to triple from what it is now. The variety of green building trends for new homes which are in place today are staggering and exciting, and will ultimately change the way we build homes and business facilities, permanently. According to the Earth Advantage Institute, below are the latest green building trends for new homes to watch for in the near future.

• Urban Density: Homeowners are opting to build in the empty space between existing homes or buildings. These lots are desired by those who want to be closer to city-centers and hotspots.
• Green Multi-Family Homes: An increased interest in energy-saving building options and an increase in the number of multi-family homes being built mean an increase in green multi-family homes.
• Energy Upgrades Drive Home Remodels: Consumer preference has switched to remodeling in order to save energy in their upgrades. Thus contractors have begun to offer these types of services as a standard option in remodeling projects.
• Development and Testing of New Materials: National labs and research departments are working with construction firms in order to produce test facilities and sensor-filled buildings which track real-time energy performance of new materials and equipment.
• Consumer-Friendly Home Energy Tracking Devices: Sensor-based energy and water monitoring systems are being used to track new heating system replacements to save money all throughout their homes and the number of companies creating these tracking devices is increasing, making them easier to come by.
• Energy Education for Commercial Tenants: Commercial building energy disclosure is pushing building owners to be more energy efficient, this in addition to educating tenants on ways for them to contribute to saving energy means that more commercial buildings are going green.
• Transparency in Home Marketing: Consumers who have instant access to information are more educated and can see through housing scams more easily. Real estate agents who are forthright and educate clients even further on the benefits of having energy efficient home features means more confidence in the green housing market.
• More Accurate Appraisals: With more educated consumers looking for Certified Residential Green Appraisers, the lending community is beginning to follow suit and pay attention even further to the added value and return on investment for green homes and green remodels.
• Broader Adoption of Residential Energy Ratings for Homes: Energy labeling systems are being put into place nationally, thus causing homeowners to be more educated regarding energy savings possibilities. More extensive usage of residential energy ratings for homes means homeowners are undertaking more energy upgrade work.
• Smart Grid-Compatible High-Performance Homes: More new homes are utilizing “grid-aware” appliances which monitor and report their own usage with the ability to increase or decrease electric usage remotely, thus saving energy.

Call Design Comfort if you have any questions about these improvements.