The report of the National Association of Home Builders on their quarterly remodeling index (RMI) showed an increase calls to improve the energy efficiency in the homes of their clients. Of the remodelers surveyed, 33% of them were asked to help improve energy efficiency.

The RMI measures remodeler perceptions of market demand for current and future residential remodeling projects.

“It’s no surprise with rising energy prices and other costs draining the piggy bank that homeowners want to maximize home performance with green remodeling options,” said NAHB Remodelers Chairman Lonny Rutherford, CGR, CAPS, CGP, a professional remodeler. “Professional remodelers provide the solution for making the 125 million existing single-family homes in the United States more energy-efficient.”

There is a awareness towards green remodeling and home developments adhering to the yet to be released National Green Building Standard. The standard includes the only consensus rating system for remodeling.

This standard provides a roadmap for green remodeling and assures consumers that remodelers know how to plan and complete a project following green standards. 

The survey showed that remodellers have installed products for energy efficiency improvement. Particularly in the following areas:

• Windows—73 percent of surveyed remodelers installed more energy-efficient windows that are insulated to prevent outdoor heat exchange.
• Insulation—65 percent made upgrades such as insulation replacement and spraying foam or fiber insulation into enclosed walls and roof cavities, while 27 percent insulated foundations and 52 percent installed insulated exterior doors.
• High-efficiency HVAC systems (56 percent)
• High-efficiency kitchen appliances (47 percent)
• Water-saving faucets and fixtures (46 percent)

“Newer technologies are also quickly gaining in popularity,” says Rutherford. “Thirty-five percent of remodelers reported installing tankless water heaters, which save on energy costs by heating water on demand instead of continuously eating energy.”

Source: NAHB