Slow and steady wins the race. And over the past few months, energy efficiency has quietly been grabbing the media coverage from it’s sexy cousins the Renewables, like solar, wind and geothermal.
Early this month I reported that green as in wallet (saving money) was hot. Now the July issue of Realtor Magazine is reporting that saving money is motivating Americans to seek out the energy efficiency improvement projects that go beyond yesterday’s stop-at-CFL-bulb-replacement trend:
Energy Efficiency is not on the wish list for home buyers in 2011 – it is on the ‘must’ list.
This is according to AVID Ratings and based on their 2010 Avid Home Design Drivers Study. The Energy Efficient Homes report by Pike Research has similar rosy predictions:
Expenditures on energy-efficient home improvements, which have been essentially flat over the last few years, will see a period of strong growth through 2014, reaching $50.2 billion.
Top items in the AVID study include:
- High-efficiency insulation
- High-efficiency windows
- Double- and triple- glazed windows
- Tankless water heaters
- Water-conserving devices
- Products to improve indoor air quality
- Renewable flooring