washingtonpost.com
By Katherine Salant
Although home builders have the opportunity to make a huge impact on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing global warming, very few mention it in their sales pitches.
To make a difference, home builders do not have to reinvent the house; they simply have to build ones that use less energy. Their challenges are minor compared with those faced by automakers shifting to plug-in hybrids, electric, and hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered cars. Builders can achieve significantly higher rates of energy efficiency with only a few minor changes: plugging air leaks in the building envelope so that the owner will not be heating or cooling the great outdoors; sealing the ducts that deliver heating and air conditioning with mastic glue instead of tape, which can disintegrate; installing better windows with a low-emissivity coating; and adding more insulation to basements, crawl spaces, walls and attics.
Other changes will help, such as increasing roof overhangs to shade windows in summer; building houses to minimize western exposures to the hot summer sun; and planting fast-growing shade trees after houses are built.
How much would such modest changes add to the cost of a house? During the recent boom years, they might have added as much as 4 percent. In today's market, the added cost probably would be closer to 1 percent because a builder can get good work from subcontractors at very competitive prices, said Ron Jones, president of GreenBuilder Media and a builder for more than 30 years.
This added cost might discourage some builders. But the main reason that most are not pushing energy efficiency is their desire to avoid debate about a subject that they sense the buying public rejects -- and one that could affect their sales, said Jones, who is also a director of the National Association of Home Builders and is in frequent contact with builders all over the country. He was instrumental in establishing NAHB's green building certification program.
"Home builders tend to be stubborn and absorb change slowly, but above all," Jones emphasized, "home builders are business people who want to sell houses, and they approach most things pragmatically.
"They are not going to focus on global warming because they have observed the public's skepticism, and they don't want to scare off potential customers," he said. "Instead, builders are promoting energy savings as a way to save money. They'll wait for the client to talk about improved energy savings and climate change."
Kevin Morrow, NAHB's green building senior program manager, said most builders think the best way to sell energy efficiency to "today's value-conscious consumers" is to show the money saved on utility bills. But, he said, "the end point is still the same." Energy-efficient houses reduce the emissions that are causing climate change.
Sam Rashkin, program manager for the federal government's Energy Star for Homes program, said he also takes a neutral, "bipartisan approach" in offering reasons to save energy. "If I bring up climate change, I will offend 50 percent of my audience -- I will see a body language change," Rashkin said. His solution has been to tailor the message to the audience.
For builders, Rashkin promotes energy savings as a way to compete against foreclosed houses. For homeowners, he emphasizes energy savings as a way to lower utility bills. With both groups, Rashkin shows that home energy efficiency benefits everyone, homeowner or not, because it reduces the overall dependence on foreign sources for oil and natural gas used at home.
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