The Green Builder Media Network

Policy Shifts, Energy Strain, Fire Readiness

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0:00 | 8:04
SPEAKER_02

Hi, I'm Katie O'Keefe, and you're watching this week's Sustainable Building News. The White House is taking aim at housing affordability with a new executive order focused on cutting barriers to home construction, citing NAHB regulatory studies. The order directs federal agencies to review regulations tied to permitting, environmental rules, and development restrictions that officials say are slowing new housing supply. The bigger takeaway, Washington is increasingly treating housing affordability as a supply problem and pushing deregulation as a solution. Our editor-in-chief Matt Power summarizes it this way. They're blaming all of the housing shortages on zoning and building codes and suggesting that we go back to low efficiency water heaters and HVAC. In other words, hey, let's gaslight home buyers with low upfront prices and let them find out later how expensive it is to heat their underinsulated, poorly built house with a Zero 11 furnace. It's basically the 180 degree opposite of value per square foot. We'll keep you updated on this important story, including more context and commentary from our founder Ron Jones next week. For many Americans, electric bills are no longer just expensive. They're completely unaffordable. According to the AP, some West Virginia residents are now paying more for electricity than their mortgage, with one homeowner hit with a staggering $940 monthly bill. Rising infrastructure costs, extreme weather, and aging energy systems are pushing prices higher. And West Virginia isn't an isolated example. According to the Insulation Institute, new federal survey data shows 33% of U.S. households experienced energy insecurity in 2024. That includes families struggling to pay utility bills, maintain healthy indoor temperatures, or avoid service shutoffs. In a related trend, wildfire resilience is rapidly becoming a bigger focus across the housing industry as states and communities shift from reactive recovery to proactive planning. Colorado is rolling out new wildfire-ready building codes for high-risk areas. California is incentivizing fire survivors to rebuild stronger and all electric, and regional leaders in Texas are expanding resilience planning around wildfire and extreme heat. States across the country are ramping up sustainability and resilience efforts. This week, Governor Kathy Hokel announced that up to $150 million in supplemental funding is now available to support the installation of energy efficient heat pump systems in small residential buildings across the state. Maine has announced $43 million for heat pump water heater installations, while Minnesota is expanding statewide energy programs and electrification initiatives. Meanwhile, New Mexico and Rhode Island are expanding heat pump and clean energy incentive programs. Cities are stepping up as well. Ann Arbor, Michigan is creating its own clean energy utility and a first of its kind move to expand renewable access. Providence, Rhode Island has unveiled a new $3 million revolving fund to retrofit buildings for energy efficiency and carbon reduction. Philadelphia is opening new resilience and environmental justice grants for local climate projects, and Cincinnati continues expanding its climate action strategy through green infrastructure projects, emissions reduction efforts, and resilience planning across the city. According to Futurism, the engineered wood market is growing rapidly as builders look for more sustainable alternatives to traditional materials. The U.S. already has more than 2,500 mass timber projects built or underway, with that number expected to surge in the coming years. Buildings account for 37% of global emissions, and developers are under pressure to reduce carbon while building faster and smarter. AI is also helping manufacturers cut waste and improve efficiency in production. AI is advancing rapidly, and many experts warn the risks may be growing just as fast. In the latest episode of the Impact series, Kate Burglund of the Center for Humane Technology sounds the alarm on AI's hidden costs, from soaring energy demands to mounting concerns over jobs and regulation. She notes data centers could consume 12% of all U.S. energy by 2028 as AI infrastructure explodes nationwide. Watch the full interview here at the Green Builder Media Network. Here's a quick clip.

SPEAKER_00

The Department of Energy projects that in by 2028, data centers could account for 12% of energy consumption in the United States. And that's up from 4% in that would be growing from 4% in 2025. So that's a tripling in three years. And if you extrapolate that out, uh, you know, that that's really concerning. You know, we've got data centers being built that are the size of Manhattan. Uh, you know, there's the the the sheer scale of this and the pace of it are, I think, what is possibly the most alarming element of it.

SPEAKER_02

Green Builder Media just launched an exciting project, the Vision House Shawwood. It's a new demonstration project launching in partnership with Sakasui House. Spanning three Southern California communities, the project will showcase climate-resilient, precision crafted homes built around a new housing metric, value per square foot. The initiative will highlight how performance, resilience, wellness, and sustainability are redefining what makes a home truly valuable. Follow the Vision House Shawwood project using the link below or click on the Vision House tab on our nav bar. Green Builder Media's Sustainable Products of the Year and Brand Index is now live and available for free download on the Knowledge tab of our website. The issue highlights the most innovative sustainable product releases of 2026 and the brands making the biggest impact across the industry. It's an easy way to get a quick pulse on environmentally friendly products you can spec in your next project. This week's editor's product picked is the brand new Voltex X outdoor split heat pump water heater from AOSmith, developed in partnership with Panasonic. The Voltex X is a split system with a heat pump installed outdoors, that means no indoor noise, no space constraints, and more flexibility in tight installations. It's built for temperatures as low as negative 25 degrees Fahrenheit using CO2 refrigerant with near zero global warming impact and includes built-in leak detection, optional auto shutoff valves, and freeze protection even during power outages. For our cognition hot take of the week, we asked home buyers to choose their top home feature. Turns out their pick isn't even inside the home. It's the great outdoors. Data shows nearly 23% of consumers rank outdoor living spaces as their top priority more than any other feature.

SPEAKER_01

26% of renters say outdoor space is their number one want.com. Stay informed, stay ahead.