FROM THE TAILGATE Sage advice from the trenches
By Ron Jones
The Big Win
You can take your pick of the statistics: > More than 40 million homes in America are under-insulated.
> More than 60 million homes in America have outdated, poor-performance windows.
> Buildings account for more than 40% of our total energy use and more than 70% of our use of electricity (half of which is generated by burning coal—our number- one source of atmospheric pollution).
> Even in the strongest market years, we add only 1% to 2% new homes to the nation’s housing stock; as a result the vast majority of existing homes don’t even meet the bare minimum energy requirements of the current watered down building code.
> An estimated 30% to 40% of all the energy we pay to bring into our homes is lost entirely to poorly performing systems, ineffi ciency, and leaks. The greatest opportunity to improve the
performance of buildings, mitigate damage to the environment, reduce dependency on foreign energy sources and outdated technologies, develop sustainable markets for manufacturers and suppliers, and support a sustainable model for the building industry is right before our eyes—in the hundred million-plus homes and billions of square feet of non-residential building inventory that already exist. These facts become even more relevant
to builders, contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers when we recognize that not only are the giddy days of the building boom we all experienced just a few years ago gone for the foreseeable future (some say
56 GreenBuilder September 2010
forever) but also that even the more recent prognostications of recovery are being scaled back as economists and fi nancial experts admit that it will take much longer to climb out of the pit left by the collapse than previously predicted. There is also increasing evidence that
the federal government has begun to shift the policies that drove home ownership in a direction that places less emphasis on home sales/ownership and more onto the aff ordability of occupying a dwelling, whether it is owned or rented. This indicates that in all likelihood homeowners will realize fewer opportunities to sell their current homes and repurchase, so they will look more and more at upgrading what they already have, not only for their own comfort and operational cost savings, but to add value to the property when they do sell it. It is fair to say that this trend is refl ected in the direction and content of building ordinances and codes as well since it is
more cost eff ective for communities to concentrate building activities of all types in areas with existing infrastructure and services. Developers are going to be forced to adapt to the changing realities, leaving fewer options for new projects and opening the door to those that focus on redevelopment, renovation, and infi ll. I am not trying to paint a picture
of gloom and doom—far from it. I am suggesting that a huge opportunity awaits building professionals who are willing to seize it.
And while some will fi nd it less exciting
than the glamorous arena of high-tech bells and whistles layered onto cutting- edge designer projects, benefi ts abound for everybody—especially those who are determined to create and grow a sustainable business.
The economy, the country, and the
industry could use a big win. Let’s not overlook the potential of this one. GB
www.greenbuildermag.com
James Kegley
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60