The green market for new construction is growing with builders to suppliers jumping to meet the demand. The green market was 2 percent of non-residential construction starts in 2005; 10 to 12 percent in 2008; and will grow to 20 to 25 percent by 2013. Not only is the demand growing, the evidence is mounting for the increased value of green building. An upfront investment of 2 percent in green building design, on average, results in life cycle savings of 20 percent of the total construction costs — more than ten times the initial investment.
Since high-efficiency appliances can really help a home or business achieve LEED® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification through reduced water and energy usage, builders are reaching out to GE to help them determine which appliances, such as refrigerators, dishwashers and water heaters, will help a home run as efficiently as possible.
These appliances can complement builders’ environmental credit strategies, helping them gain points towards LEED® certification.
To help answer those questions, GE is proud to announce that Kelly Montgomery, sales black belt and contract marketing specialist recently earned a LEED® Green Associate credential. LEED® is an internationally recognized green building certification that provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance. There are both environmental and financial benefits to earning LEED® certification. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED®-certified buildings are designed to:
“I learned so much about how GE appliances and products can fit into builders’ selected LEED® credit strategies to help them earn points towards certification, and I’m excited to be a helpful reference contact for LEED® questions relative to appliances in the contract business,” says Montgomery.
Montgomery is the program manager for the GE Homes Inspired by ecomaginationsm program, a whole-home energy solution GE created to help builders and developers build homes that rank higher in energy efficiency than current industry standards.
Homes Inspired by ecomagination and LEED® certification can offer consumers added value to their home not only in terms of energy savings but also a higher value per square foot.
A recent study published in The Appraisal Journal indicates that the market value of a home increases by $10 to $25 for every $1 decrease in annual fuel bills. An investment in energy improvements could add $8,000 to $25,000 to a home’s market value.3
“If a builder is trying to choose between GE’s Homes Inspired by ecomagination program or LEED® certification, they can easily decide to incorporate both programs to make the home even more marketable,” says Montgomery. “The two programs don’t have to be mutually exclusive and actually function very well together.”
By using the Homes Inspired by ecomagination program, builders have access to GE-supported marketing materials to help with positioning themselves as an “energy-efficient builder.” Uniting the GE program, recognized by builders as the most “green” brand,4 with LEED® certification, recognized by consumers, a home or commercial building’s performance can jump.
