Green has been the key to many new developments and remodels in the last several years, especially in the Northwest. Here are some of the trends in the green building industry that will become very familiar in the next year and years to follow:
1. Smart grid and connected homes. Measure your personal and community use of power, from each appliance, and what it is costing.
2. Energy labeling for homes and office buildings. Buyers and consumers will be able to accurately opt for more efficient homes and buildings, and this may push for green upgrades for those that were unmotivated previously.
3. Building information modeling software. Computer drafting will make it easier to design green buildings.
4.Financial community buy-in to green building. Lenders and insurers will get behind green building because it’s good for their bottom lines.
5. "Rightsizing" of homes. Builders are not focusing on mansions, and buyers are looking for a space that fits them now, not anything too huge.
6. Eco-districts. The creation of walkable, low-impact communities in the suburban setting is gaining steam.
7. Water conservation. The Environmental Protection Agency finalized the voluntary WaterSense specification for new homes in December of 2009, which reduces water use by about 20 percent compared to a conventional new home. Water will be the essential resource in the next decade.
8. Carbon Calculation. With buildings contributing roughly half the carbon emissions in the environment, the progressive elements in the building industry are looking at ways to document, measure, and reduce greenhouse gas creation in building materials and processes. This effort will be heightened once a federal cap-and-trade mechanism is launched in this country.
9. Net Zero Buildings. A net zero building is a building that generates more energy than it uses over the course of a year, as a result of relatively small size, extreme efficiencies and onsite renewable energy sources. We are close to being able to do this routinely.
10. Sustainable building education. This will create opportunities for professionals involved in the building industry, from real estate to finance and insurance.
Info comes from The Earth Advantage Institute, by way of Realtor.com
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