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New Homes Less to Blame for Gas Emissions Than Older Housing
A new study on residential greenhouse gas emissions shows why consumer education and more efficient power plants are crucial to reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
The U.S. government has estimated that homes are responsible for 21% to 22% of both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, but more than half that amount results from the inefficient generation and transmission of energy, according to the report by NAHB economists.
Further, “household behavior, such as how long lights are left on, may have as great an impact on residential electricity consumption as the number of built-in appliances or other amenities provided by home builders,” the report says.
In February, the NAHB Board of Directors adopted policy to study climate change issues and determine an appropriate response from the home building industry. One result of that resolution has been an acceleration of the development of the first-ever residential green building standard, based on NAHB’s nationally recognized Model Green Home Building Guidelines.
“Our commitment to green building is real, and it’s growing,” said NAHB Executive Vice President Jerry Howard. “This report reaffirms the data that shows how homes are becoming increasingly energy-efficient, every year. We now have sound science showing that our builders’ hard work is paying off — but that all of us need to redouble our efforts regarding consumer education.”
Per square foot, new homes consume less than two-thirds the energy of older homes on heating and air conditioning systems, which are usually installed by home builders rather than chosen by home owners, according to the report. The problem lies with older homes with antiquated electrical systems and appliances, drafty windows and insufficient insulation.
Further, builders can’t control the use of other appliances and devices — everything from light bulbs and computers to washing machines and hot tubs, Howard pointed out. “That’s where consumer education comes in. We need to understand that electricity isn’t cheap, even if we can afford the monthly bill.”
The electric power sector was responsible for about 40% of total carbon dioxide emissions in 2005, but apportions that responsibility to the end users — like residential and commercial customers — based on electricity sales. “This is quite significant and an important point to keep in mind,” the report says. “Without a share of the electric power industry’s emissions, the residential sector would account for about 10% of carbon dioxide emissions, rather than 21%.”
Government surveys show that homes built between 1991 and 2001 account for only 2.52% of total energy consumption. “Even if each of the new homes built over the 1991 to 2001 period consumed zero energy, it would only have reduced total consumption in the U.S. by 2.52%. The same result could be achieved by improving the average efficiency of the pre-1991 homes by 14.7%,” the report says.
However, the report warns that more stringent energy conservation requirements for new homes could raise prices and encourage people to remain in their older, less energy-efficient homes.
Consumers can learn how to reduce their energy use at Take Action at Home, an Environmental Protection Agency Web page.
To read the NAHB study, "Residential Greenhouse Gas Emissions," click here.
For more information on green building resources available from NAHB, e-mail Calli Schmidt at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8132.
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