Building energy codes, a staple among the policies regulating construction, yield solid reductions in consumption and emissions, according to research that examined hard data on energy use in states with codes on the books. Although energy codes have existed in the U.S. for nearly 40 years, estimates of the benefits that result from them have largely been theoretical and based on simulations. Findings released in a report by the Climate Policy Initiative prove that “energy codes are working, and they deliver energy savings not just in a theoretical sense – there is solid evidence they actually do,” said Kath Rowley, the director of CPI’s office in San Francisco and the head of the organization’s research program in North America. Researchers looked at residential energy use from 1986 to 2008 in 43 states with building energy codes. The review found that in homes built to the codes, energy consumption was 10 percent less than energy use for homes not built to the codes, and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions were lower. [Read this article]

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Concrete is literally the backbone of our infrastructure, but it often takes a bad rap for the carbon intensity of its key ingredient: cement. Research just out of MIT’s Concrete Sustainability Hub finds that concrete has some good properties that can be overlooked if assessments of the building material do not truly look at the entire lifecycle. And beyond that, the studies say, taking a look at how we put concrete to use can make a big difference: For example, using concrete to pave roads and highways can yield greater fuel efficiency for cars than asphalt. According to the studies, residential concrete buildings have higher embodied global warming potential than a wood alternative, and commercial concrete buildings are roughly equivalent to a steel alternative. However, concrete structures have lower annual operating global warming potential than the alternate designs in wood or steel, ranging from 2 percent to 10 percent in savings. [Read this article]

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As green building pros know all too well, today’s recession-weary home buyers are often more concerned with price than with a home’s energy rating, durability, or indoor air quality. New research, however, reflects a steady increase in the public’s understanding of the value of green building features. In fact, one analysis in the Portland, Ore., metropolitan area found that green-certified dwellings sold for up to 30% more on average. The study from Portland-based nonprofit Earth Advantage Institute found that green-certified new homes, on average, sold for 8% more than non-certified ones. In one of the six counties reporting figures, the premium was more than 23%. Certifications came from Energy Star, LEED for Homes, Earth Advantage, or an Earth Advantage/Energy Star combination. The difference in sales price was even higher for existing homes: an average of 30%, with one county reporting a premium of more than 61%. [Read this article]

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