I make a point to do the things we ask consumers to do on behalf of our clients -- in part because I’m what our segmentation system would classify as an Active -- but mostly because I want a visceral, real-world experience of what it’s like to be a consumer making greener buying decisions. I’ve recently completed construction on a little lake house and we’re right in the middle of construction and build-out of our new office space. So my first-hand experience with trying to build a greener home and office space is this:
We’re relying way too much on the end consumer to move the market forward.
My experience has been pretty typical, from what I hear:
- My house appraised for 30 percent less than I've got in it because the appraiser "has nothing to comp it against" and can't give me financial credit for all the green features.
- Despite hiring a LEED AP architect, the principles of building science weren’t initially applied to the specifying of the insulation, HVAC system and windows. Thanks to help from one of our clients, I got smart enough to push the issue and ask the right questions only to finally have the HVAC guy say, “Ma’am, I’ve been doing this for 17 years and I’ve never once used a computer model; I just know from experience that I’ve designed the right system for your house.”
- On the office front, which will definitely earn LEED Silver, maybe even LEED Gold, getting the right systems at the right price -- and ensuring we didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot on our LEED designation -- required way more meetings and time than I expected. And it required sticking to our guns and urging the professionals at the table repeatedly to “figure it out.”
If I hadn’t taken the time to get educated, gotten help and advice from my firm’s clients and stood up to confident-sounding construction professionals who were urging me to do things the conventional way, I’d have wound up with the same-old, same-old.
I’m not saying you should stop marketing to the end consumer -- we must normalize green building for them so they can comfortably adopt it. But we can’t rely on the consumer to push the architect, builder, appraiser and banker to get a green or more-efficient home or building built. It’s just too hard. And at the end of the day, our ongoing research has proven time and again that consumers will choose the more convenient, comfortable option. They simply don’t want to do battle with the construction industry to get a greener home.
So if you’re responsible for marketing an energy efficient or green building product, take a chunk of your marketing dollars and spend them on an out of the box campaign to show everyone in the value chain what’s in it for them. When we stop relying on consumers to tilt at windmills, we’ll quickly make green building the new normal.
Image of green home building by Victor Correia via Shutterstock
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Almost all contributors are well respected freelance and professional that are part time professional in tune with REimagineers and contribute mainly capital on the knowledge front ,that come together full time, only for a project & upon implementation disband; at this stage. As we have a long way to go in terms of working capital, expenditure, overheads vs steady revenue income balance; is not conducive in ensuring moderate salaries for effective personnel ;at this point of time.
Till then I am networking with individuals & entities that are striving with aligned paradigms articulated in the Mission & Vision Statement , attached for your perusal, advice & suggestions.
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My experience too. I added a
My experience too. I added a 6.2 Kw photovoltaic plus a solar thermal hot water system to my house along with spray foam insulation...total cost beyond 65k...added value was $0 due to "no comps" ..."but the real value is lower bills" was the appraiser's comment. This was on top of not getting the Federal tax credit because my money as a disabled vet has no tax liability. My complaining to the lender that my house value was under-appraised by more than 30 % fell on deaf ears...due to the incorrect appraisal my loan-to-debt ratio was skewed so my interest was higher too. "Joe Everyman" would pay about $13,000 for my system; I paid $36,000. If you add my cost for the loan that "floated" my work till I finally re-financed, I paid an additional $16,000 all of which was added to a re-fi !! If I had it to do all over, I would NEVER have added any of the green improvements. If you don't have the $$ saved for the work, DO NOT get the work done. If you are on a fixed income, DO NOT get the work done.Seems that the ones who would benefit the most are in the least position to get it.
All this sounds a little
All this sounds a little tooooo familiar to me. That's why I actually started Greenspiration Home (the publication named for the LEED certified green showcase home that IS my home). Working with contractors on this home ranged from being semi-satisfying to maddening. But here's the thing. I've been working in the commercial HVAC industry for years. I've been writing about commercial LEED projects for years. I sort of had a leg up on all this and it was STILL a nightmare with some bitter battles and some bitter disappointments.
You can imagine my reaction when, after 4 years of struggling to get my home LEED certified, I find out I actually have to PURCHASE my own certification plaque from the USGBC. It was sort disheartening considering I promoted this home extensively, earning media coverage for the home and LEED in newspapers, television, magazines, and speaking engagements as far away and prestigious as a sustainability conference at the Vermont Law School.
None of that turned me against the USGBC (exactly) and certainly not green building. But it sure did open my eyes to how imperfect and flawed the residential construction industry is and how vulnerable well-meaning homeowners are. So -- I set out to create publication that educates from the homeowner's perspective -- because that's how homeowners really learn to navigate these choppy waters. That's how they learn to take control.
It sounds like some of the above commentators have great stories to share, including Suzanne Shelton. I'd love to hear them. trish@greenspirationhome.com
Having been a green builder
Having been a green builder since the early eighties, and having co founded an organization to educate about green building I certainly agree with you that most architects and builders do not understand how to build green. Most customers do not understand how cost effective high performance building can be.
To become a LEED AP just means that you studied and passed a test, getting at least a 75 of 100. It does not mean that you understand integrated design.
Most builders and architects use the “value engineering” approach and try to minimize costs wherever possible rather than doing a long term cost benefit, or life cycle analysis.
Doubling the insulation budget and making your shell air tight will only add 5% to the budget but will improve wall and roof energy performance by 80-90%. It will also reduce the need for heating and cooling equipment.
Adding southern overhangs is a basic design parameter which most designers ignore. The ancient Greeks and Romans used passive solar designs, so why don’t architects?
To use less than high performance windows should be against the law, and is if the code officials are doing their job.
It costs more to do load calculations and energy modeling when designing the building and HVAC, but if high performance is the goal it is a necessity.
The extra money spent on high performance pays for itself in just a few years in energy saving, and then continues to pay for itself both in energy savings and improved comfort.
At this point low or zero VOC finishes cost almost the same as the more toxic alternatives, so to not use green finishes should be a not even be considered green building or not.
Studies show that the improved health of the inhabitants is where the biggest return on investment is. One 2003 study of green buildings owned by California showed that 70% of the ROI of building green was from the improved health of the inhabitants.
A well designed green building should not break the bank, but will cost a little more than a regular building. Unfortunately finding a designer and builder who can design a cost effective green building is not an easy thing to do, and it is going to be a while until enough of them learn enough for it to become a common practice.
ouch. This kind of mirrors my
ouch. This kind of mirrors my own experience as a homeowner seeking green renovations and upgrades for efficiency of my own place. Two energy audits helped provide a backbone to justify some basic work. I still was left feeling isolated telling the contractors what I wanted, and hearing them say, "Out of 100 customers you are perhaps the one who said they wanted to go this extra step." For example, insulating the sash wall cavities with foam instead of just tucking in a little bit of fiberglass batt... or sealing around my windows on the inside with silicone caulking... or getting a roof that was made of recyclable metal and would last 50 years instead of throw-away asphalt shingles... and I was still unable to get a window contractor to spec me different emissivity/transmissivity of low-e glass for the north and south sides of my house.
As long as the green market is perceived as a boutique extra, not a basic for a sustainable future, by those doing the work of home construction and improvement, we won't get to approach any sustainable endpoints and all this will be merely talk.
I'd love to hear more about
I'd love to hear more about your experience. Would you be interested in sharing them on my blog, Greenspiration Home. Our content is based on actual homeowner experience. This is how we connect with our readership. Trish@greenspirationhome.com
As a Green Building
As a Green Building Consultant I work with single family home builders to both consult on how to build to various certification levels as well as doing the actual verification and performance testing on completed homes.I can't tell you how many times I've heard a skeptical builder say "builders build what people want" as a reason not to participate in our programs. These same builders do come back to me when they land the "right" client. Some of these builders learn from this first experience and continue to build certified green homes because they see it as a both a measure of quality and a way to differentiate themselves from their competition. These same builders have told us they need education across the board on what green building is and why it's valuable. That's why my company, Earth Advantage Institute, hosts educational classes for builders, subcontractors, appraisers, realtors, etc. There is no doubt in my mind that our classes would be full if all consumers wanted green. My main point being that the trades will follow the money trail. If we can successfully create value for green in the consumer market place the builders and trades will follow.
Good article. AVA Recycling
Good article.
AVA Recycling is now partnering with LEED building property management companies to further enhance green practices.