Dive Brief:
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Up to 80% of Americans who are planning to buy or build a home in the near future said they are more likely to choose one that’s energy efficient, according to the 10th annual Energy Pulse study by Shelton Group. And 78% said they want a water-efficient home.
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Homebuilders who want to attract that large pool of potential buyers need to change their language, advised surveyors from Shelton Group, a marketing communications agency specializing in sustainability and energy efficiency.
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For example, the authors said homebuilder marketing materials are “riddled with” buzzwords like “high-performance home.” In the survey, just 14% of consumers could explain what that means.
Dive Insight:
Often, when pollsters ask house hunters if energy efficiency is important to them, the consumers qualify their “yes” with “as long as it doesn’t cost more.” In this poll, however, 71% of the 2,006 potential homeowners said they were “likely” or “very likely” to pay more for a high-performance home.
That response could indicate the market for highly efficient buildings and home products like appliances is greater than some homebuilders might believe. “Even if you only counted the ‘very likely’ percentage, almost half of new home buyers are interested” in owning an energy-efficient home, even if it costs more than one without those features, the authors noted.
