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The world of environmentally sustainable interior design (ESID) has been torn asunder by a deep divide between theory and practice for years now. In principle, green home features are widely acclaimed; when it comes to real-life implementation of eco-friendly design projects, however, the picture is not as bright as one might expect. Though green building activity leaped from 35% in 2012 to 40% in 2015, current figures are still far below the real needs for sustainable design. Although there&... [continue reading]
Is it fair to say, “We take residential plumbing for granted? Do we use our plumbing system on a daily basis more than we do our stove or refrigerator?” [continue reading]
Swimming pool owners will see a huge drop in their monthly utility bills thanks to a consensus agreement between industry, efficiency proponents, and other interested parties for the first national energy efficiency standards for pool pumps that was approved July 29 by a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) advisory committee. [continue reading]
The next U.S. Department of Energy Race to Zero Student Design Competition (Race to Zero) will be held April 22-23, 2017, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. [continue reading]
Crowdsourcing. It’s a great way to gather input and enlist the minds of many to do good. With crowdsourcing, you’re not limited to a small group of pre-selected individuals. Rather, you get to expand your reach to a vastly larger pool. Various companies use this tactic to not only get a broader set of ideas, but also to get people involved and personally invested in a particular project. Take Ben & Jerry&... [continue reading]
The Electric & Gas Industries Association (EGIA), a nationwide non-profit contractor membership organization, has officially launched a new fully responsive and user-friendly website that now serves as the platform for EGIA’s newest and most powerful member benefit to date: the EGIA Contractor Marketplace. [continue reading]
Those of us working within the building industry or energy efficiency space in existing homes know that boosting insulation levels can reduce energy use, cut consumer costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, there’s been a modest amount of data to quantify the extent of the benefits—particularly at the state level. Until now. [continue reading]
Wrong question. The right question is what can we do to help builders design and construct more perfect walls without losing their shirts? At Building America, we have an idea for a tool to do this. [continue reading]
It’s become more apparent over the last five to ten years that the amount of energy we’re consuming as human beings is far above what is sustainable for the longevity of our species as well as our planet. The good news is that the a recent National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) survey found that between 2007 and 2015 the average homebuyer’s preference for green and sustainable features has remained pretty ... [continue reading]
Our new working paper explores healthy home concerns and behaviors among American homeowners and renters. We show that both groups are interested in improving the indoor environmental health of their homes, but face myriad challenges to doing so. Below, we highlight three important steps we can take toward improving the health of our housing stock.1. Demonstrate and Respond to Consumer DemandHealthy housing is becoming more than a niche market. Nearly one in four households in ... [continue reading]
