Homebuilders were among the first to be struck by the economic downturn, and conditions haven’t improved. To try and entice reluctant buyers, more firms have begun offering green add-ons to the standard fare.
Those add-ons aren’t always cheap however, possibly limiting interest in what is otherwise a hot topic of conversation.
“It’s increasing as an option builders are offering,” said John Kortecamp, executive vice president of the Homebuilders Association of Maryland. “But the feedback I’m getting is that consumers are slow to pick up on it, just due to the cost premiums. I suspect that will change.”
While homebuilders have partially embraced green construction, few if any have completely abandoned traditional techniques, said Michael Furbish, founder of Baltimore-based sustainable building firm the Furbish Co. He said smaller firms have reacted much more quickly to consumers’ changing interests.
“I think the bigger the homebuilding machine, the harder it is to shift, because they have these set ways of doing things,” Furbish said. “It becomes a bigger battleship to turn. The guys that build 20 or 25 homes a year have more flexibility.”
“Homebuyers are asking more questions about energy efficiency — knowing they’re going to be paying high utility bills for years,” said Brad Heavner, state director of Environment Maryland, an environmental advocacy group. “I think a lot of builders have been missing the boat for years by only caring about the upfront price of the house and not thinking about the cost of the homes in the long term.”
A University of Massachusetts at Amherst 2008 report found that an investment of $1.9 billion in green causes could create 37,000 new jobs statewide, many in construction. The report called for $766 million in energy-efficient building retrofits, with jobs created for electricians, heating/air conditioning installers, and carpenters.
“Green collar” work force development is a priority for the state as it looks to meet the demands and opportunities of a changing culture. State officials have begun looking at ways to promote environmentally conscious building as a sideline to more traditional forms of construction, said Malcolm Woolf, director of the Maryland Energy Administration.
“Solar [energy and other renewables] gets a lot of attention, but there’s unemployed or underemployed contractors that can be retooled to do insulation, HVAC, green stuff,” Woolf said. “It’s not really a different skill set.”
