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SINGLE-FAMILY
HOUSING IS
GOING GREEN
Single-family home builders are going
green, stated a recent study from Dodge Data
& Analytics in partnership with the National
Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
According to the study, of those surveyed,
at least one-third of single-family home
builders said green building accounts for more
than 60 percent of their portfolio. NAHB and
Dodge believe by 2022, this will increase to
nearly half of builders.
"Dedicated" green builders, or those that
have green building as more than 90 percent
of their portfolio, made up 20 percent of
those surveyed in single-family. According
to NAHB Chairman Granger MacDonald,
this shows that green building has become an
established part of the residential construction
landscape.
"It is no longer a niche business; our
members recognize the value of building green
and are incorporating these elements into their
standard business practices," MacDonald said.
Net zero homes, or homes that produce
as much renewable energy as they consume
over the course of a year, are becoming more
popular, too. Twenty-nine percent of single-
family builders have built the homes in the
past two years, and 44 percent expect to do so
in the next biennium.
e study showed that builders are seeing
increased demand and competitive advantage
for net zero homes as the top two drivers to
begin developing them, but the added use
of renewable technologies is also driving the
rise in their popularity. Nineteen-23 percent
of builders reported using solar photovoltaic
panels part of a renewable energy home in the
last two years, and 43 percent expect to use the
technology in the future.
"As consumers become more familiar
with the impact that their homes can have on
their health and well-being, we wouldn't be
surprised to see the influence of this factor
continue to grow," said Steve Jones, Dodge's
Senior Director of Industry Insights Research.
According to Unison
2017 National Survey
on Barriers to Home
Ownership, 77 percent
of respondents believe
that being a homeowner
is a good investment,
and when compared to
renting, 63 percent of
those questioned believe
that having a place to call
home will reduce stress,
as well as anxiety.
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