Green Home Building on the Rise, New Study Says
Recently, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) wrote about the growth in green home building according to a new research study conducted by Dodge Data & Analytics. Read the full story here.
The study highlighted, “At least one-third of surveyed single-family and multifamily builders said that green building is a significant portion of their overall activity (more than 60% of their portfolio). By 2022, this number should increase to nearly one-half in both sectors.” One of the critical components at play here is energy efficiency.
NAHB added, “Energy efficiency continues to be the most common method of improving a home’s performance, followed by a healthy indoor living environment.” However, the rules regarding home energy efficiency are changing.
New technologies and shifting realities are showing us that what we once believed may need some rethinking. For example, today’s average homeowner ROI for various home energy efficiency investments may surprise you:
- Upgrading windows = 20-70 years
- Home Insulating = 10-15 years
- Furnace Replacement = 5-10 years
- Duct Sealing = 2-3 years
If you looked at the above list of energy-saving tactics about five or six years ago, the idea of duct sealing was virtually absent. Instead, we were taught that projects such as replacing windows or insulating walls offered the most effective energy-saving results. Clearly, this is no longer the case.
Today, duct leakage is estimated to waste $25 billion each year nationwide. If every homeowner in America sealed their ducts, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the environmental and national security benefits would be the same as:
- Shutting down twelve nuclear reactors
- Note burning 250,000 railway cars of coal every year
- Not importing 48 supertankers of Middle East oil every year
Furthermore, on average, 30 cents of every $1 spent on heating and cooling never makes it to a home’s living spaces because it is leaking out of the ductwork.
Thankfully, Aeroseal technology is an NGBS green-certified product for its outstanding energy-saving benefits! By sealing ductwork with Aeroseal, you are allowing the conditioned air from the furnace or AC unit to actually get to the desired locations in a home, resulting in a more energy-efficient system and increased energy savings.
Are you a homeowner? Find a licensed residential Aeroseal dealer near you to see if your house could benefit from being sealed.
Are you a contractor? We’d love to discuss how you can use Aeroseal to help improve your customers’ homes. Call us 877-349-3828, email us, or leave a comment below.