Energy Efficiency Should Be the Foundation for All Buildings

When parents decide to purchase a new house, they almost always say, "We're doing this for our kids."

The new house will be bigger so the children don't have to share bedrooms, they say. It will have a larger yard so there's more room to run around. And it's in a better school district.

In truth, most of the features in the new house -- including its size -- are what mom and dad want. Most kids are reluctant to leave their old neighborhood, and they don't care what a kitchen looks like or what kind of counters it has. Nor do they get excited about the yard size or the number and size of the bedrooms, unless one is smaller or less appealing in some other way.

But eventually the kids will care a great deal about the choices that mom and dad make in the new house that affect the environment they will inherit. Our children do not yet know all the ramifications of global warming, but they will never forgive us if they inherit a diminished planet because their parents and grandparents lacked the will to prevent it.

What does a new-home purchase have to do with global warming? Simple: Buildings are the largest source of the greenhouse-gas emissions that are causing global warming, and in the United States, half of building-related emissions are from houses.

Greenhouse gases are produced when fossil fuels are burned for energy. About one-third of household greenhouse-gas emissions are produced on site -- that is, when natural gas or fuel oil is burned at homes to produce heat and hot water. The other two-thirds of household greenhouse-gas emissions are produced off site at electric power plants.

About half of electricity in the United States is generated at coal-burning plants, and these are major polluters. Another 20 percent is generated at natural-gas-burning plants, which are lesser polluters. About 20 percent is generated by nuclear plants, which do not create emission issues but do generate radioactive waste. Hydroelectric and renewable power sources, which make up a much smaller part of overall power use, do not have emission issues.

The electricity from the plants powers air conditioners, appliances, lights, computers, home-entertainment equipment and other items that we consider essential to our standard of living.

When a household consumes less energy, the greenhouse-gas emissions associated with that house are reduced.

Recognizing the connection between global warming and the built environment, architects have stepped up to the plate and adopted what is known as the 2030 Challenge. Originally drafted by Santa Fe architect Ed Mazria and adopted by the American Institute of Architects last year, the 2030 Challenge calls for an immediate 50 percent reduction in fossil-fuel consumption in all new buildings, including houses.

By 2010, the fossil-fuel-reduction standard for new buildings increases to 60 percent, and it will increase by an additional 10 percent every five years. The intended result: By 2030, all newly constructed buildings will be "carbon neutral." That is, they will operate without relying on any greenhouse-gas-emitting energy sources.

According to Mazria, this ambitious program can be followed at no extra cost by using design strategies, energy-saving materials and construction techniques now available.