Home Builders and Remodelers Embrace Greener Practices, Surpassing 2019 Levels
Dodge Construction Network and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) revealed the most recent discoveries from the 2024 SmartMarket Brief on Building Sustainably: Green & Resilient Single-Family Homes.
According to the NAHB, These figures underscore a clear and undeniable trend: Homes continue to improve their sustainable performance, with builders and remodelers across the nation embracing eco-conscious practices.
“It is clear that green building has become a mainstream part of the residential construction landscape with more builders and remodelers engaging in sustainable building practices than ever before,” said NAHB Chairman Alicia Huey, a custom home builder and developer from Birmingham, Ala. “The results also indicate a potential for future growth by driving market demand for green homes, as well as an increased move toward enhancing homes through resiliency practices.”
Despite the uptick in specific green practices, many builders and remodelers do not perceive an overall increase in the construction of green homes. The study revealed marginal growth in 2024 compared to 2019 in the number of respondents who indicated that over half of their home projects were green. The number of new home projects reported increased by just one percentage point and remodeling projects by five percentage points.
“The study strongly indicates that incorporating energy efficiency, as well as water and materials conservation, into their projects is becoming part of the standard practice for builders,” says Donna Laquidara-Carr, industry insights research director at Dodge. “This suggests a likely improvement in the overall performance of housing stock, even if the share of homes flagged as green buildings has not appeared to change significantly.”
