As with last year, green building consultant Jerry Yudelson published a top-ten list of green building trends for the next year. Yudelson explains that green building is growing in popularity across the globe — that “more people are going green each year, and there’s nothing on the horizon that will stop this trend.” I’ve hand-picked some of Yudelson’s trends that will apply in the residential sector below:
1: Blue = The New Green
At some point, folks will understand that there’s a “global crisis in fresh water supply” and designers will do more to reduce water consumption. This can be done with conservation-oriented fixtures, rainwater recovery, and new water technologies. Yudelson’s new book, Dry Run, is on point.
2: Obama with Benefits
Yudelson explains that green building in the U.S. will continue to benefit from the Obama presidency. Perhaps this is evidenced by recent support for the HOMESTAR program and the governmental Home Energy Score.
3: Zero Net-Energy
It’s hard to get recognition when everyone else is doing the same thing. Yudelson says LEED and Energy Star ratings have become “too common to confer competitive advantage.” Zero net-energy design is quickly becoming the norm.
4: Performance Disclosure
Performance disclosure was a hot topic last year and the “fastest emerging trend,” according to Yudelson. Commercial building owners will have to disclose performance to tenants and buyers, but don’t expect the residential sector to avoid disclosure requirements for long.
5: More Solar Power
Yudelson expects to see more solar power use in buildings. Whether buoyed by state-level renewable power standards or federal financial incentives, the result will be a proliferation of on-site energy generation from the sun.
Bonus: Better, Cheaper Materials
There is a “revolution” in the realm of sustainable building materials. Each year, materials provide higher performance at a lower cost. And they’re greener, too.
Read the entire article, Green Building’s Top Ten Trends for 2011, by Jerry Yudelson.
Obama had been working with Harry Reid and Lindsey Graham on a comprehensive energy bill…until the immigration issue blew up in Arizona. I’ve read that they’re planning to work on it again for 2011. But it’ll be difficult to push against the John Boehner’s promise to Tea Party members to cut domestic spending 25%, and get any sort of tax rebate for efficiency upgrades to homes. And there’s going to be an increase in the media rhetoric over greenhouse gases and their contribution to global warming, now that the Tea Party has a voice in Congress.
Instead, federal government will shut down in March — perhaps for a couple of weeks. The polarity of the two sides is so egregiously expansive, a showdown is unavoidable.
Outside of the Beltway, I see a big push in LED light usage, with municipalities switching to LEDs and prices halving over the year to no more than $15 for a 60 watt incandescent equivalent; maybe even down to $10.
hat’s about Passive House?
JWT picks up on the Passive House trend in our other article on this topic. It’ll be huge: http://www.jetsongreen.com/2011/01/six-green-building-trends-watch.html
thanks for the eco trends coming up. i recently read an article about bamboo and the eco-friendliness of that particular material. i was surprised not to see them mentioned on here but i just skimmed the article. thanks for the info.
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This is completely bogus. Maybe as bogus as Obama is. Come on, lets be smart…
How about promoting smart usage of water, or simply turn lights off, only use what you need…
The green building industry will rebound in 2011 in spite of the continuing economic difficulties in most developed countries.