Energy-efficient homes an attractive option for buyers – and builders, too
On May 8, 2009, Gov. Christine Gregoire (D-Wash.) signed a landmark energy efficiency bill, quietly putting Washington state on the forefront of U.S. green energy efforts.
The intent of the law is to gradually increase the efficiency of energy codes and require newly constructed homes and buildings to incrementally move towards a 70 percent reduction in energy use by 2031.
The new codes were supposed have gone into effect July 1.
However, on May 25 of this year, opponents of the legislation filed a federal lawsuit challenging a portion of the adopted energy code changes. Among other things, the suit complains that the state standards are more stringent than federal law.
With the new code about to take effect, the state's State Building Code Council recently responded with a delay until Oct. 29, with more public hearings to determine if a further delay to April 2011 should be considered.
Even with the delay, the question remains: how much more expensive will building a new home be assuming the codes are implemented?
Having studied and taken training on the proposed energy code myself, I do not see a major first-cost impact for builders or homebuyers. In fact, failure to implement the changes will be far more costly to the new homeowner, the homebuilding industry – and to society.
Some of the changes that will probably increase first costs for residential construction: improvements to the building envelope (such as increasing insulation requirements), blower door testing and duct testing (to check for air leaks), as well as items like a high-efficiency water heater, HVAC system or heat pump.
According to a study of the effects conducted by the Washington State Dept. of Commerce, "for average size gas heated homes, representing 75 percent of all new homes in Washington, the cost will be $1 per-square-foot for Climate Zone One and $2.04 per-square-foot for Climate Zone Two (Vancouver is in Climate Zone 1)."
So for a 2,200 square foot home in Clark County, let's assume an added first cost of $2,200 for a new residence built under the new codes.
A return-on-investment cash flow analysis conducted by energy experts at the Dept. of Commerce suggest that the average 2,200 square foot home in this climate zone should begin to see a return on that investment within the first five years, with those savings continuing to add up over the life of the home, paying for themselves multiple times over through the course of a mortgage.
With market demand and interest growing from consumers for higher-efficiency appliances, motor vehicles, businesses and homes, it seems to me that builders who resist constructing energy-efficiency homes are not only doing their customers an extreme disservice, but will struggle to compete in an emerging green energy market.
Buckley is a principal at Greenstone Architects in Vancouver. He can be reached at 360.695.5454 or at tbuckley@greenstonearchitecture.com.
