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Research expert covering construction, loans, leasing, savings, and debt
Green and energy-efficient buildings in the United States - statistics & facts
Buildings in the United States have a big carbon footprint, that needs to decrease quickly in the coming years to be able to reach the climate goals set by the government. In 2022, the commercial and residential sectors were responsible for roughly 13.5 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. As the real estate and construction industries focus on reducing their environmental impact, the demand for green and energy-efficient buildings has been rising.
The existence of all those certification systems signals the appetite for green buildings, as they facilitate accessing information about a building’s climate footprint, energy usage, and other characteristics that buyers are eager to be aware of before making an important decision.
What sustainability upgrades are U.S. Americans choosing?
Most the energy consumed by residential buildings in the U.S. is used for heating and cooling, followed by refrigeration, using appliances, and lighting. In addition to those activities, commercial buildings also use a lot of energy to operate computers, equipment, and other machines. The impact of heating and cooling, which are some of the most energy-intensive processes in both types of buildings, can be reduced with better isolation. Heat pumps sales have also increased in the U.S. as they can heat and cool spaces using less energy than other heating systems. Nevertheless, there are also other types of popular upgrades to increase the sustainability of a building that are not related to energy efficiency. Renewable energy installations and resiliency measures together made up over half of the PACE financing provided for homes in the U.S. Water efficiency upgrades, which only represents five percent of the program’s loans, can also be very effective in territories with water scarcity.What are the leading green building certificates in the U.S.?
The leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) is one of the most popular certificates in the U.S. As of April 2024, the surface area of buildings with a Platinum LEED certificate, the highest sustainability level, amounted to 626 million square feet. Energy Star is another popular certification system for buildings. Despite some fluctuations, the surface area of buildings certified by Energy Star has increased by over a billion square feet every year in the past decade and a half. There are also other certificates, such as the HERS index or NGBS, which are also very popular even though they focus exclusively on residential real estate. Finally, the WELL certification describes the health impact of a building.The existence of all those certification systems signals the appetite for green buildings, as they facilitate accessing information about a building’s climate footprint, energy usage, and other characteristics that buyers are eager to be aware of before making an important decision.
