Eye On Housing
A study conducted by a team of researchers, led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Berkeley Laboratory, found that homebuyers are willing to pay more for homes that have installed solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems. The research (Selling into the Sun: Price Premium Analysis of a Multi-State Dataset of Solar Homes) estimates a price premium of approximately $4 per watt of PV installed…. Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘energy’
Top Posts of 2014: Renewable Energy in New Homes
With the end of 2014 approaching, NAHB’s Eye on Housing is reviewing the posts that attracted the most readers over the last year. In July, we published survey data on power production equipment in new homes. —————————– By Robert Dietz A rising number of new homes include renewable energy features, a trend that is apparent in both single-family and multifamily construction. McGraw Hill Construction’s… Read More ›
Much Electricity Use Traceable to Household Behavior
The people moving into a new home and their behavior can easily have a larger influence on energy consumption than items a builder may be able to control, according to research recently published by NAHB. The NAHB research is based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest Residential Energy Consumption Survey data. A previous post showed how these data can… Read More ›
Ten Years of Homes, Only Three Percent of Energy Consumption
Single-family and multifamily homes built in the previous ten years accounted for just 3.2 percent of the energy consumed in the U.S., according to NAHB’s latest analysis of data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA’s last report on ““Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States” (covering data through 2009), shows that, in total (irrespective of when it… Read More ›
Energy-Efficient Appliances
A key driver of the amount of energy a home uses is the energy-efficiency of the appliances installed in the home. And newly built homes are more likely to contain Energy Star rated appliances. The amount of energy a home uses is determined by multiple factors, including the quality/efficiency of the structure and the kinds and usage of the appliances… Read More ›
Renewable Energy in New Homes
A rising number of new homes include renewable energy features, a trend that is apparent in both single-family and multifamily construction. McGraw Hill Construction’s data and analytics team surveyed a set of NAHB single-family and multifamily members in 2013. According to the findings, 12% of single-family builders reported including solar photovoltaic panels in new home construction in 2013. More popular… Read More ›
Costs to Incorporate Green Features
The cost to make a home green (energy efficiency, water and indoor quality, etc) is higher than the cost of construction of other homes, and this differential may persist as more builders enter the green market. However, builder experience with green technique reduces cost as engagement in the market increases. McGraw Hill Construction’s (MHC) data and analytics team surveyed a… Read More ›
Green Building Features
A focus on energy efficiency is the most important development and design strategy that is making new housing greener according to a recent industry survey. McGraw Hill Construction’s (MHC) data and analytics team surveyed a set of NAHB single-family and multifamily members in 2013. The survey found that 62% of single-family builders and 54% of multifamily developers are doing more than… Read More ›
Energy Tax Credits: Large Impacts After 2010 Rule Changes
In 2005, Congress established a number of energy-efficiency tax incentives related to housing. These policies include the tax code section 45L credit for the construction of energy-efficient homes, the 25C credit for retrofitting existing homes, and the 25D credit for the installation of power production property in new and existing homes. Using earlier IRS data for tax year 2009, we… Read More ›
NAHB Survey on Installation of Energy Producing Equipment and Green Building
Survey data of single-family builders collected by NAHB at the end of 2013 reveal the share of builders who installed energy producing equipment in new construction, highlighting an important trend in home building. The November 2013 data finds that 23% of surveyed builders installed alternative energy producing equipment in the past year. Of those answering “yes”: 82% installed geothermal heat pumps 26%… Read More ›