I was watching a program this morning on HGTV about what type of home you can get for a certain price in different parts of the country. One of the homes featured was a condo in Boston that was EnergyStar rated and was built to be "green." The developer stated that the owners could save about $1,600.00 per year on their energy bills because it was so energy efficient. The insulation was made of recycled newspaper and all of the windows and appliances were energy efficient. The condo was also eco-friendly by having carpet made of recycled materials and recycled glass tiles. It got me to thinking about the way architecture can influence our use of energy. If builders and developers make the choice to use eco-friendly materials, there is less energy consumed than making products from scratch and less waste to dispose of. In addition, when they make their buildings highly energy-efficient, there is less demand on fossil fuels once the buyers move in. The energy-efficiency is further a huge selling point because it saves buyers money, which is in turn, good for the economy by encouraging the real estate market. There is simply no reason in my mind for new construction or rehabs to be anything but energy efficient and at least somewhat, eco-friendly. Energy efficient methods may sometimes be a little more expensive upfront, but when the owner is saving up to 40% on energy bills (as this program indicated), there is a huge savings down the line. In addition, eco-friendly products such as bamboo and cork floors and recycled glass tiles are more beautiful than ever.

People want to save money, but do not want to compromise their sense of style for their homes usually, so the energy-efficient and eco-friendly approach in condos such as the one featured in the program are a win-win situation. Making homes highly energy efficient and using recycled materials, may open the door at least a little for more alternative energy options. After all, if there is more conservation of fossil fuels by a developer's smart design and upgrade options in a homes, utilities may see less interest in these traditional energy sources and may make more of an investment in e.g. wind or solar power. Further, with this shift in architecture and design, utilities may start to see the light that homeowners really do care about using less fossil fuels, so long as they are saving money and living in a nice space.

I guess it sounds like a bit of a cop-out that some people only want to conserve if it means lining their pockets with money and buying products that are still attractive, but if it adds up to more people doing their part to consume less in the way of fossil fuels, so be it.