Top 10 Green Building Trends for 2011

After discussions with a wide range of stakeholders – policymakers, builders, developers, architects, real estate brokers, appraisers, lenders, and homeowners – Earth Advantage identified the following trends in green building for 2011. The trends range from green homes becoming easily affordable to community-based energy, from smart appliances to lifecycle analysis of materials. 1. Affordable green. Many people associate green, energy-efficient homes with higher costs, but that’s changing. New business models, technologies, and high performance materials are bringing green homes within reach of all homeowners. Free or low cost energy audits are now widely available, and as homeowners become more aware of the benefits of simple, inexpensive retrofits, energy efficiency upgrades are increasingly commonplace. Through programs like Solar City’s lease-to-own business model, homeowners can get solar on their roofs without an up-front payment. Habitat for Humanity builds affordable LEED and Energy Star-certified homes across the US for as little as $100,000. 2. Healthy Competition on Energy Consumption. Sharing among "friends" on Facebook and other social networking sites may soon include a healthy competition for who uses the most and least energy in exchange for rewards. Earth Aid, for example, lets you track home energy usage and earn rewards for energy savings […]

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