particularly at times when demand is highest. Educational efforts also help to ensure that owners of multifamily properties, building residents, and operations and maintenance staff are informed about how to operate and maintain their properties to maximize energy performance and long-term investments. As noted in an evaluation of public housing units that had received energy efficiency upgrades, over time energy savings persisted but were substantially compromised as a result of "improper operation of equipment and lack of maintenance." [1] With a better understanding and appreciation of the measures taken to make a home energy-efficient, homeowners, tenants, and property managers can help to maintain and build on those benefits. Why do marketing and education matter? | Photo Courtesy of the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, (c) 2001 |
Learn more about educating consumers about residential energy efficiency Go back to learn about other policies that improve residential energy efficiency |
Click on the links below to learn more about educating consumers about residential energy efficiency: Influencing market values This section covers steps the public and private sectors can take to stimulate interest in energy-efficient homes and reward those who choose to undertake improvements Tools for promoting behavioral change The tools discussed in this section include technological innovations to help monitor energy-use, as well as educational and training programs to inform tenants, homeowners and building managers on reducing energy costs |
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You are currently reading: Tools for promoting behavioral change The tools discussed in this section include technological innovations to help monitor energy-use, as well as educational and training programs to inform tenants, homeowners and building managers on reducing energy costs Other pages in this section: Influencing market values This section covers steps the public and private sectors can take to stimulate interest in energy-efficient homes and reward those who choose to undertake improvements |
Smart meters still compose only a small share of all meters installed, but their presence has grown significantly in the past few years. With passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that trend will continue: the bill set aside some $3.4 billion for investment in smart grid technology, including $200 million in funds for the installation of 2.6 million smart meters in homes and businesses. [1] Awareness of energy use When paired with in-home displays or linked to an interactive website, smart meters can help consumers to quickly and easily monitor their energy usage. Increased awareness will not, by itself, reduce usage or utility bills; however, consumers who can compare current consumption levels with the previous day, week, or month and track their monthly utility bill as it builds may be more likely to adjust their behavior in order to avoid high bills and conserve energy. Additionally, with data on actual energy consumption readily available, consumers with smart meters should receive more accurate utility bills, rather than estimates that may over- or under-estimate actual usage. | Solutions in Action |
The affordable Central Park Apartments in Stapleton, part of a master-planned community in Denver, CO developed on the site of an old airport, include many energy-saving features. The 18-unit development, which serves households earning up to 50 percent of AMI, features roof-top solar panels and has received LEED for Homes gold certification for its superior performance. Residents pay for their own heat and hot water - each apartment has its own thermostat, furnace, and hot water tank - and each unit includes a digital monitor that displays the amount of energy being used at any time (in dollars). While not technically a meter - the display does not transmit information to the utility - the screen allows residents to monitor their usage throughout the day and make adjustments to keep bills low. [2] |
Concerns about smart meters
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Under an arrangement variously known as Variable Peak Pricing, Time-of-Use, and Dynamic Peak Pricing, utilities designate on a daily basis blocks of time during which "on-peak" and "off-peak" will be assessed. (Rates are typically announced one day in advance.) Consumers can alter their energy consumption patterns to avoid heavy usage during on-peak periods, when higher rates will prevail, and engage in more energy-intensive activities during off-peak times. Based on a similar premise, Real Time Pricing establishes rates for the next day on an hourly basis. Residential customers in Illinois can participate in ComEd's Residential Real-Time Pricing program, in which they charges are based on wholesale hourly market prices. Energy companies that use a Critical Peak Pricing model notify customers of peak "events" a day in advance. During these critical periods, participants are asked to reduce energy consumption as much as possible. For example, PG &E's will ask customers who enroll in its SmartRate Summer Pricing Plan to minimize their energy consumption between 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on up to 15 "SmartDays" between May and October, when demand for electricity is expected to peak. Surcharges apply for energy use during that period, but customers enjoy discounted rate for all other hours. Peak-Time Rebates take this concept to this next level by offering rewards to customers who reduce their energy use on "event days," when energy consumption and costs spike upwards. Consumers who use less energy compared with previous years may earn a cash rebate for energy saved (below a baseline amount). | Solutions in Action |
Between June and August 2009, 3,000 volunteers took part in Connecticut Light & Power's Plan-It Wise Energy pilot program. The utility randomly assigned participants to one of three dynamic pricing models. In addition, a subset of participants received "enabling technologies," including in-home display monitors, smart thermostats that automatically increase temperatures during peak periods, and basketball-size "energy orbs" that provide visual cues about price levels by changing in color from green to red as rates increase. Seventy-seven percent of the participants enrolled in the pilot program were homeowners and 23 percent of participants were renters. Evaluation of the pilot study indicated that enrollees reduced their energy use during peak hours by an average of 1.6 to 23.3 percent, depending on the rate type and enabling technology, if any, to which they were assigned. Click here to access the full pilot program report. |
Concerns about dynamic pricing
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Click on the links below to learn more about tools to promote behavior change: Technological tools for behavior change Two tools, smart meters and smart bills, provide feedback on energy consumption and costs, helping owners, residents, and property managers to better understand the impacts of their behavior Education and Training Education and training enables homeowners and residents, property owners, and managers of multifamily properties to get the most out of energy-efficient retrofits and other energy-saving features, leading to behavior change |
You are currently reading: Tools for promoting behavioral change The tools discussed in this section include technological innovations to help monitor energy-use, as well as educational and training programs to inform tenants, homeowners and building managers on reducing energy costs Other pages in this section: Influencing market values This section covers steps the public and private sectors can take to stimulate interest in energy-efficient homes and reward those who choose to undertake improvements |
Solutions in Action |
In Toronto, Canada, a partnership of three community-based organizations established the Brahms Energy Saving Team (BEST), targeting the more than 800 hundred residents of two large multifamily buildings with the goal of reducing overall energy consumption in the buildings. BEST took a resident-led approach and hired six tenants from the buildings as community education and outreach workers. The six education and outreach workers designed and delivered educational materials to other tenants in the two buildings. They went door-to-door to distribute educational pamphlets, hosted neighborhood barbecues and other events to promote energy-reducing behavior, and staffed information displays in the lobbies of the apartment buildings. According to the Toronto Star, from 2005-2008, over 75 percent of Brahms residents participated in the BEST program and helped to reduce annual energy consumption by almost 17 percent, allowing property owners to invest the energy savings back into the building. In 2006, BEST was awarded the Green Toronto Awards for best community project. [1] Click here to read a guidebook on tenant-led energy saving education, produced by BEST partners. |
Public agencies may offer workshops - on their own or in partnership with nonprofit or for-profit training groups - to educate the owners of multifamily properties on steps they can take to improve energy-efficiency and available financial assistance or incentives programs. For example, New Jersey's Green Homes Office, a division of the state's Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA), offers three-hour training events that introduce homeowners who have participated in NJHMFA's mortgage and financing programs to new programs intended to stimulate energy-efficiency investments. Previous sessions have also targeted owners of multifamily properties, offering guidance on new and existing loan, grant, and incentive programs for energy-efficiency. Some organizations and public departments offer trainings and workshops focused specifically on homeowners and prospective buyers. ReBuilding Together, a nonprofit organized focused on low-income homeowners, offers an online training program that helps families identify energy-saving modifications that offer the greatest energy savings and financial pay-off. Several websites and online tools make it possible for property owners or building managers to conduct a do-it-yourself home energy analysis by guiding users through each room of a home to examine common problem areas for drafts and air leaks and to identify other ways to improve home energy-efficiency. Do-it yourself audits are best suited for single-family homes or individual rental units, rather than entire multifamily buildings; however, special tools have been developed to | Solutions in Action |
The 1,000 Green Supers program will, in one year, train one thousand New York City building superintendents and resident managers in state-of-the-art energy-efficient operations and maintenance. The program launched in September 2009, and in January 2010 received $2.8 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Labor through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that will enable training of 2,200 supers. Administered by the local union of property service workers (SEIU 32BJ) and supported by Mayor Bloomberg, the Urban Green Council (the New York chapter of the US Green Building Council), the Building Performance Institute, and members of the real estate industry, the program consists of a forty-hour curriculum that trains participants to recognize areas where energy is wasted, develop a green operating plan, and perform cost-benefit analyses for building owners and managers. Click here to learn more about the 1,000 Green Supers program. |
Click on the links below to learn more about tools for promoting behavior change Technological tools for behavior change Two tools, smart meters and smart bills, provide feedback on energy consumption and costs, helping owners, residents, and property managers to better understand the impacts of their behavior Education and Training Education and training enables homeowners and residents, property owners, and managers of multifamily properties to get the most out of energy-efficient retrofits and other energy-saving features, leading to behavior change |
You are currently reading: Tools for promoting behavioral change The tools discussed in this section include technological innovations to help monitor energy-use, as well as educational and training programs to inform tenants, homeowners and building managers on reducing energy costs Other pages in this section: Influencing market values This section covers steps the public and private sectors can take to stimulate interest in energy-efficient homes and reward those who choose to undertake improvements |
Photo courtesy of Potterhilll Homes | Energy-efficient homes offer many benefits; most notably, lower utility costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and, in many cases, improved indoor comfort. While recent and ongoing research programs have confirmed long-term cost savings associated with energy-efficient upgrades, many of these other benefits have yet to be fully integrated into existing homeowners' and renters' expectations of energy-efficient homes. As researchers continue to refine estimates of the pay-off periods associated with specific energy-saving investments, interest in undertaking energy efficiency improvements or choosing homes that incorporate these features will continue to grow. In the meantime, however, the public and private sectors can take steps to stimulate interest in energy-efficient homes and reward those who choose to undertake improvements. |
A 2012 white paper, Pulling the Trigger: Increasing Home Energy, outlines new strategies for uniting public policies and private financing tools to unlock home energy savings at different points of opportunity to improve energy performance during its life cycle. Recommendations include integrating energy efficiency in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS); provide incentive programs to homeowners before during renovations; and, develop modifications to existing mortgage financing, refinancing and home equity products that incentivize and incorporate energy efficiency. Click here to read the report |
Click on the links below to learn more about specific approaches to influence market values: Marketing to owners The real estate industry can incorporate energy efficiency into the multiple listing service Marketing the benefits of energy efficiency Public marketing campaigns, paired with rebate and incentive programs, can stimulate investment and increase the demand for in energy-efficient homes |
You are currently reading: Influencing market values This section covers steps the public and private sectors can take to stimulate interest in energy-efficient homes and reward those who choose to undertake improvements Other pages in this section: Tools for promoting behavioral change The tools discussed in this section include technological innovations to help monitor energy-use, as well as educational and training programs to inform tenants, homeowners and building managers on reducing energy costs |
The MLS system is the primary source of information on real estate available for purchase, and is not a single entity, but rather a series of more than 800 electronic databases maintained by local and regional associations of Realtors. [1] Each database collects and displays listings submitted by certified real estate brokers, enabling subscribing Realtors to view each others' listings and assist their clients -- both buyers and sellers -- in accessing a wide pool of options. In many cases the public can view a portion of the information available for each property, although viewing the full listing requires a subscription. In some communities, forms for MLS listings have been expanded to include fields on energy-efficient features and green certifications. These new search options enable Realtors to easily identify homes that might appeal to energy-conscious buyers, and to market energy-efficient properties that | Photo courtesy of the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, (c) 2001 |
A better understanding of the value added by specific energy-saving measures may stimulate more property owners to undertake these improvements, and may also increase lenders' willingness to offer lending instruments that finance energy efficiency improvements on favorable terms. Some real estate professionals have joined EcoBroker, a membership organization that provides education and training on the value of energy-efficient homes and strategies for marketing them to consumers. To earn EcoBroker designation, members must complete a curriculum about home energy efficiency and environmentally sensitive design, which includes training on financing products such as energy-efficient mortgages and state or local tax credits available to homebuyers. EcoBrokers are also required to learn about funding mechanisms to assist with energy-efficient retrofits in existing homes. Click here to leave this site and learn more about EcoBrokers. | Greenwashing Lacking a single protocol to certify that homes meet a standard of energy efficiency, there is the risk that developers, owners, and property managers may market as energy-efficient homes that are not actually high-performing and have not received any verification to back up the claim -- a phenomenon sometimes known as "greenwashing." As more regions adopt fields for home energy performance into the RMLS, it is important to consider developing common protocols to ensure that homes described as energy-efficient meet a tested and approved set of standards. |
Solutions in Action |
In 2006, members of the Board of Directors of the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS) agreed to add fields for home energy performance and green home certifications to the RMLS electronic database, which consolidates property listings in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. Unregistered visitors can see data on basic home attributes (number of bedrooms, square footage, year built, etc.) for each RMLS listing, plus additional optional information about special features, including whether the building had received one of more than ten "Green Certifications" and the year it was awarded. [4] Subscribers to the service may access additional details on other energy-efficient features, including the use of sustainable materials such as cork flooring and whether Energy Star-certified or other high-efficiency appliances have been installed. As of early March 2010, a search of the RMLS indicated that some 6,900 listings had received green certification. Based on the popularity of the new feature, the nonprofit organization Earth Advantage - which works with home builders and developers to reduce the energy consumption of new and existing homes - has started to offer the "Sustainability Training for Accredited Real Estate Professionals "(STAR) program. The two-day course arms Realtors with the information needed to describe green home and energy efficiency products and concepts to clients. Successful graduates receive marketing assistance through a personalized page on Earth Advantage's site and a funding award from the Energy Trust of Oregon's Trade Ally Program. Click here to learn more about the STAR program. |
Click on the links below to learn more about specific approaches to influence market values Marketing to owners The real estate industry can incorporate energy efficiency into the multiple listing service Marketing the benefits of energy efficiency Public marketing campaigns and rebate and incentive programs can stimulate investment and increase the demand for in energy-efficient homes |
You are currently reading: Influencing market values This section covers steps the public and private sectors can take to stimulate interest in energy-efficient homes and reward those who choose to undertake improvements Other pages in this section: Tools for promoting behavioral change The tools discussed in this section include technological innovations to help monitor energy use, as well as educational and training programs to inform tenants, homeowners and building managers on reducing energy costs |
Communities can help to stimulate investments in energy-efficient homes by providing marketing assistance for developers and homeowners that participate in programs to improve home performance. Marketing initiatives may be targeted around specific properties that have been certified under the local green building or energy efficiency standard, or programs may recognize builders and developers that participate in such programs. For example, the Wisconsin Home Performance for ENERGY STAR program website provides direct links to eligible contractors throughout the state, marketing their ability to perform services that comply with program guidelines. Marketing campaigns can also increase awareness of home energy efficiency benefits in order to promote public assistance programs. For example, the California Public | Photo credit John Booz |
Incentives and rebates Pairing incentive programs with marketing strategies can be an effective way for states and localities to increase the demand for energy-efficient products or build participation in related programs. As of May 2010, several states have used federal stimulus funds to offer rebates for ENERGY STAR rated products. In Florida, the state established the Florida Appliance Rebate program to distribute rebates worth 20 percent of the purchase price for ENERGY STAR rated refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers and other appliances on a first-come first-served basis via the state's website. The rebate fund was $17.5 million, enough to meet the equivalent of approximately 66,000 appliances, [1] and was depleted within a day and a half of its release. The Wall Street Journal reports that various state rebate programs increased retail sales by five to ten times average sales, driving consumer demand for energy-efficient products. [2] As several news articles reported, the Florida rebate programs, as with similar programs in other states, were timed appropriately to coincide with tax day and earth day, allowing government agencies and private retailers to leverage other existing publicity and campaigns to boost marketing of the program and qualifying items. [3] | Solutions in Action |
Introduced in 2003, Arlington County's voluntary Green Home Choice program encourages developers and homeowners to take steps to increase energy efficiency when renovating or building new homes. A program scorecard identifies building techniques and components identified as effective in promoting healthier, more efficient homes, and by incorporating these elements into their projects, participants can rack up enough points to receive Green Home Choice certification. Benefits associated with this certification include admittance to special events and "front-of-the-line plan review," as well as marketing assistance, including law signs indicating program participation. Typically, new construction represents two-thirds of participating homes and rehab projects make up one-third of the homes in the program. Click here to leave this site and learn more about Arlington's green building programs. |
In 2010, the National Housing Conference hosted the Partners in Innovation preservation forums, a series of three regional forums focused on strengthening and supporting affordable rental housing preservation efforts through innovative partnerships, policy development, and legislative reform. The regional forums took place in Boston, MA; Portland, OR; and Denver, CO in 2010. View the following presentations from the Partners in Innovation: Preserving Affordable Rental Housing Through Energy Conservation in Boston on April 14, 2010.
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Click on the links below to learn more about specific approaches to influence market values: Marketing to owners The real estate industry can incorporate energy efficiency into the multiple listing service Marketing the benefits of energy efficiency Public marketing campaigns and rebate and incentive programs can stimulate investment and increase the demand for in energy-efficient homes |
You are currently reading: Influencing market values This section covers steps the public and private sectors can take to stimulate interest in energy-efficient homes and reward those who choose to undertake improvements Other pages in this section: Tools for promoting behavioral change The tools discussed in this section include technological innovations to help monitor energy-use, as well as educational and training programs to inform tenants, homeowners and building managers on reducing energy costs |