Beaton Construction - Massachusetts Sustainable Construction Blog

Today, Greener Buildings published a story by Evan Smith, of the Metamorphosis Management Group comparing the, "Green Stimulus Spending," of the leading nations.  While the US leads countries like South Korea, the combined EU, Germany, and Japan, we lag far behind spending in China.

 

Smith points out that energy usage in commercial real estate is growing substantially; but, that, "somewhere between 20 percent and 40 percent of that energy is wasted, even from buildings built within the last 10 years."

For the purposes of this story, Smith focuses on ways to improve the efficiency of commercial buildings; but, his points are just as valid for residential and small businesses.  There are many ways to increasing the energy efficiency of your home or small business or to make sure you are using sustainable construction principles while building your new home.  We shouldn't wait for the U.S. to increase spending; in many cases, you can justify improvements with government subsidies and rebates.  Improvements can result through appliance replacement/repair, insulation upgrades, and simple thermostat replacement or strategic caulking.

As a homeowner or small business owner in Massachusetts, you have a responsiblity to find out more about the simple things you can do make your house more efficient.