Energy-Efficient Construction Quickly Pays for Itself

Despite the foot-dragging opposition of short-sighted contractor-developer lobbyists, research and experience shows that energy-efficient construction quickly pays for itself in energy cost savings.

One example of a recent study confirming that savings comes from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The lab estimates that costs of energy-efficient construction are a mere fraction of the inflated estimates argued by the lobbyists for the NC Home Builders Association. The owner of an average-sized energy-efficient house would save about 16% in energy use compared to the ones built according to the current North Carolina building code minimums. At that rate, the typical owner would see a net savings in the first year, and pay off the extra construction costs in as little as four years. 

This rapid savings helps explain the NC Building Code Council’s persistence in pushing for stronger efficiency standards despite the opposition of the politically powerful builders’ lobby. Increasingly, good builders are joining in making the case for more energy-efficient construction.It’s a shame that the cheap corner-cutters seem to be in control of the deepest campaign contribution pockets for state legislative campaigns. There’s no better time than the present to put more resources behind more forward-looking legislators not beholden to the ready cash of the short-sighted.