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Home > News > Kateri Callahan, President of the Alliance, speaks with members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), OMNI Shorham Hotel in Washington, DC, May 13, 2008
Kateri Callahan, President of the Alliance, speaks with members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), OMNI Shorham Hotel in Washington, DC, May 13, 2008
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Think the current energy crisis and stalled real estate market are two separate issues? Think again! Energy and its uses (and misuses) are related to every penny spent on real estate investments, both large and small. REALTORS know this well: energy efficiency is a concern for many home and commercial property buyers as many recent surveys and studies confirm.
Today I was joined by a diverse panel of informative speakers, including David Rogers from the Department of Energy; Doug Gatlin with US Green Building Council; and Greg Miedema from National Association of Home Builders Green Building Program, as we spoke to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) on the topic “Green Buildings: A Trend or the Wave of the Future?”. From talk of federal tax incentives, building code improvements and research, to private sector creativity and certification programs, it became clear that green building is indeed the ‘wave of the future’ and, most importantly, that energy efficiency is the most fundamental block of a “green building”. It makes sense, really. An energy efficient building has lower, often significantly lower, energy bills; is more comfortable; and produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions. And a buyer needn’t experience sticker shock: one case study I cited today showed that even when paying a slightly higher mortgage for a really efficient home – one that is 30% more efficient than current codes – the utility bill savings more than make up the difference, for a net annual savings of about $512! Now that’s a comforting investment…
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