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Recently, I listened to an interesting discussion via webinarbetween Ron Jones, president of Green Builder Media, CR Herro, vicepresident of Environmental Affairs at production builder MeritageHomes, and Chad Ray from small volume builder Olde HeritageBuilders & Realty. The webinar explored the urgent need for mass, exponential change in the waythat we build and value homes, as well as policy tools such as the SAVE Act , that could lead to this change. Although there have been extraordinary advancements in smarttechnologies, green products, and sophisticated building sciencetechniques, the way that we construct homes hasn't changedfor decades. According to Herro, most of our existing housing stockuses twice as much energy and water than is necessary, resulting in$1.2 billion of annual waste that could otherwise be directed intojob creation and bolstering the economy. Herro and Ray both advocated that it s the job of the builder andarchitect to work closely with the homeowner to bridge the currentperformance gap in homes by employing sound building science andspecifying green products. Ray stated that his biggest challenge isn t convincing his clientsthat green homes are better homes. When I relay to my customersthat I can reduce their costs, lower their maintenance, extend thedurability of their home, improve their indoor air quality,increase their home s value, and have a lighter impact on theenvironment, they get it, he says. This aligns with the results from our recent market study, in which42 percent of building professionals reported that the biggestdriver for the green building market is consumer demand (34 percentreported the biggest driver is advances in green technologies, and31 percent named personal interest), and that clients have the mostinfluence on selecting green products. So, where does the gap between knowledge and performance reside?Herro and Ray both lamented that it s the other service providerswho have a major influence on homebuyers at the point of purchase(the ones that the homebuyers are actually paying to advisethem) namely the realtors, lenders, and appraisers that areperpetuating the disconnect. What s the solution? Herro states that by implementing legislationlike the SAVE Act that would modernize valuation, appraisal, andlending practices so that they accurately measure and reward energyefficiency, we could not only address today s major performanceproblems, but we could also redirect the money wasted onunderperforming homes to be spent on more sustainable innovationand we could save the average homeowner as much as $144,000 overthe course of a 30-year mortgage. Good business value. Good sense. Not much to lose here. Sara is the Co-Founder and CEO of Green Builder Media . An experienced entrepreneur, investor, and sustainabilityconsultant, Sara specializes in developing companies that aresimultaneously sustainable and profitable. Sara is a formerventure capitalist and has participated in a portion of the lifecycle (from funding to exit) of over 20 companies. Saragraduated Cum Laude from Dartmouth College and holds an MBA in entrepreneurship and finance from the University of Colorado. This article was reprinted with permission from Green Builder Media. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as 5D Cinema Manufacturer , CHINA Customers Projects Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit 3D Theater System today!
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