Solar and energy efficiency home improvements on the rise | Robert ...

The following is a post by Mary Beth Nevulis, HousingZone Contributing Editor, September 13, 2011

http://www.housingzone.com/green-energy-efficiency/solar-and-energy-efficiency-home-improvements-rise

ServiceMagic, an online resource that matches homeowners with home improvement contractors, released home improvement data and national survey results from the first half of 2011 showing that service requests for energy-efficient projects have substantially increased year-over-year.

Requests for residential solar installations are up 52 percent nationwide, as are increases in heating +34 percent, air conditioning +14 percent and window coverings +17 percent. The nationwide survey revealed that the majority of homeowners feel that energy efficiency is an important consideration in their home improvement projects and cited the top motivating factors as saving on energy bills 35 percent, protecting the environment 25 percent, and improving home comfort 23 percent. For homeowners who have invested in solar, cost-savings on home energy bills 29 percent and tax benefits 21 percent were the leading decision drivers. Thirty-one percent expect to see a return on their solar investment within one to three years, followed by 29 percent who expect a return within four to six years.

This data is collected from ServiceMagic?s January-June 2011 Home Remodeling and Repair Index, containing information compiled from 3.1 million service requests received through ServiceMagic?s online marketplace during that time period, as well as results from a survey of homeowners and service professionals conducted in July.

via Solar and energy efficiency home improvements on the rise | Housing Zone.

Robert is an Architect register to practice architecture in Texas and Oklahoma, A LEED-Accredited Professional with dual accreditation (Homes and Building Design + Construction) whose forte is environmental design, the art of blending building and landscape architecture to develop spaces in harmony with Nature. Robert has many years of experience in the architectural profession and has leading design teams to complete high profile commercial, public and private facilities. Robert holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Design and is an active member of the U.S. Green Building Council, American Solar Energy Society, and he is an Energy Star Partner. As an advocate for energy efficient green buildings Robert teaches building design principals, passive design theory, resource conservation measures, and techniques for the USGBC-North Texas Chapter and the Division for Enterprise Development at University of Texas in Arlington, Texas. This entry was posted in Energy, Life-Style, News, Residential. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://robertrutharchitect.com/dir/?p=483

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