By Paula Wolf
In the residential building industry, it's typical for contractors to respond to customer demands, whether it's a desire for first-floor bedrooms or more walk-in closets.
But when it comes to the fast-emerging focus on green building, the roles appear to be somewhat reversed - at least in Lancaster County.
While consumers are increasingly aware of the need to conserve resources and improve environmental sustainability, they're still often in the dark about what green building involves, builders and developers say.
And what they do know usually revolves around energy efficiency, because that results in cost savings.
So in many cases, contractors are the ones doing the educating on the topic of green building, as they continue to learn what it means themselves.
"The consumer in general is unaware of it," said real estate agent and developer Randy Hess, when asked about the subject of green building.
However, the situation is slowly changing, said Hess, president of the Lancaster County Association of Builders.
"It's beginning to trickle into the marketplace," he said. "I get questions and requests periodically, but they mostly relate to trying to discover what [green building] means."
This is a case where consumers are a step behind builders, Hess said, and it's the responsibility of contractors and real estate agents to bring them up to speed.
"They're just not that educated on the whole process," he said, at least not on a large scale.
But since green building is such a broad topic that's still being clarified, that's no surprise, Hess said.
Even builders are still trying to wrap their heads around the concept, he said. "It's a huge learning curve for everybody."
Plus, he said, with the economy slumping, "consumers have other things on their minds now."
The National Association of Home Builders has defined seven categories that encompass green building, Hess said: lot design; resource efficiency, which refers to building materials; energy efficiency; water efficiency; indoor environmental quality; homeowner education; and global impact.
The one people do ask most about, he said, is energy efficiency.
Home buyers are getting a lot of conflicting information about green building, and that's contributing to the lack of knowledge, said Rick Martin, president of Wheatland Custom Homes, Ephrata.
But energy efficiency is something they understand, he said, "because it comes down to dollars and cents."
Martin has been building Energy Star-standard homes since last year, and he's just earned the Certified Green Professional designation from the National Association of Home Builders.
He's never had trouble persuading customers to opt for the Energy Star system, Martin said. "They know it's the right thing to do."
Spending $3,000 more for an Energy Star house, for example, saves at least $600 a year, and that's the kind of bottom line homeowners like to hear, he said.
The fact that such a system helps preserve the planet is just a bonus, Martin said.
"Lancaster Countians are not tree huggers by nature," he said. "The 'feel-good' aspect is not enough of a benefit. It needs to be cost-effective."
Health also can be a factor, Martin said. Some customers will spend the extra $1,200 to improve indoor air quality by paying for paint with low levels of volatile organic compounds, he said.
One of Wheatland Custom Homes' newer clients, Michael Anspach, said he didn't know about the Energy Star concept until Martin told him about it.
Anspach said he interviewed several builders before deciding to go with Wheatland as the contractor for his new Lebanon County residence.
All of them touched on green building to some extent, he said, "but Rick was definitely the most knowledgeable. ... One of his selling points was, 'You want a very efficient house.' "
His home, which is under construction, includes a high- efficiency heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; Energy Star-rated appliances; and insulation and sealing around the ducts, Anspach said.
"Everybody's thinking about energy costs," agreed real estate agent Joel Leaman, a member of the Shreiner Group at Prudential Homesale Services Group.
The Shreiner Group is marketing Hempfield Crossing, a subdivision that includes the first residence in Pennsylvania to receive the NAHB's gold-level designation in green building, erected by EG Stoltzfus Homes LLC.
The purpose of the house - which Leaman called "the Cadillac of green homes" - is to showcase the many facets of green construction, even beyond energy efficiency.
And the public seems to be responding, he said. "Definitely, people have interest in learning about it."
(c) 2008 Intelligencer Journal. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
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