With the green premium, it is no surprise that home builders believe that the most effective terms to use to describe green features are operating efficiency, long-term utility cost savings and quality construction, with high performance also ranked relatively high. And 70 percent believe that consumers will pay more for a green home. However, most build- ers believe that consumers are influenced in their buying decisions by cost and the length of time to achieve a return on their investment, counterbalanced by the high influence of performance and quality in their home buying decisions. Shifting the conversation toward long- term cost savings can help, but so can emphasizing the performance and quality of the home. This likely means continuing to focus on energy efficiency, but also calling attention to green home amenities like greater comfort/better occupant experience and healthier indoor environments, and emphasizing the degree to which green homes can deliver these desirable commodities. So what does this all mean? It demonstrates that there is a commitment to improving home performance in the residential market, but that there is also room for growth. Green strategies that may particularly
help drive consumer demand include energy efficiency and improved indoor environmental quality, and those involved in home projects need to consider how they can contribute to performance in these areas in the most cost-effective manner possible to help drive more consumer interest in green homes in general.
DONNA LAQUIDARA-CARR, PH.D., LEED AP, is Industry Insights research director, Dodge Data & Analytics (www.construction.com). Dodge Data & Analytics is North America’s leading provider of analytics and software-based workflow integration solutions for the construction industry. Building product manufactur- ers, architects, engineers, contractors, and service providers leverage Dodge to identify and pursue unseen growth opportunities and execute on those opportunities for enhanced business performance.
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