If all homes built before the year 2000 were brought
up to the same efficiency as post-2000 homes in their regions,
residential energy consumption would
fall by 22.5%, according to a new report released by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.
"The State of the Nation’s
Housing 2010," studied the affordability, energy and location efficiency within the existing U.S.
housing stock.
For the first time, the report also looked at the utility and transportation costs associated
with current trends in the residential real estate market, finding that housing can be made more
affordable through efficiency upgrades.
Utility and transportation costs greatly affect housing affordability for families at all income levels.
Released earlier this week, the report found the sale of existing homes in 2009 climbed 5%,
while new home sales were down by 23%.
Much of the growth in existing home sales is credited
to declining real estate prices, along with government tax credits marketed to first-time homebuyers.
“As existing home sales begin to rise, there is a great opportunity to bring the energy and water
efficiency aspects of these homes up today’s standards,” said Casius Pealer, director of affordable
housing policy, U.S. Green Building Council.
The report also suggests that energy reduction tax incentives for green remodeling not only benefited
the environment and families residing in energy efficient homes, but proved promising for growth in the
residential real estate market. Energy consumption per square foot of housing built before 1990 fell by
21.6% from 1993-2005. While some of this gain may reflect conservation, more likely it resulted
from improvements that increased energy efficiency, raising the marketability and value of these
homes.
“Sustainable designs and materials can help reduce energy consumption in new homes and also
provide opportunities for savings in existing homes,” says Nicolas P. Retsinas, Director of the Joint
Center for Housing Studies. “Homeowners have the potential to significantly reduce home energy
costs.”
The imperative to improve housing affordability must also focus on location efficiency and
transportation costs. The report found that many people opt for cheaper housing that requires higher
travel costs, which can actually reduce overall affordability. Families who sought to limit their housing expenditures either sacrificed neighborhood quality in closer-in locations or moved greater distances
from urban cores to take advantage of lower housing costs, but also drastically increasing
transportation costs.
However, longer-term federal commitments, such as HUD’s new Sustainable Communities initiative,
will seek to integrate housing and transportation decisions and encourage more energy efficient and
transit-friendly development patterns on a local level.
This effort is furthered through USGBC programs
such as LEED for Homes and LEED for Neighborhood Development, both of which offer credits for
smart location and linkages and location efficiency.
The full report is available at the link below.
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