At the end of the day, the way the economy impacts most people concerns their own bottom line. Whether a developer or buyer of a home, it all basically boils down to how much I can make and how much I can save. Or, as this was defined in the 1992 presidential election, "It's the economy, stupid."
The following information just released by the New York State Builders' Association (NYSBA) may clarify some of the economic impact recently caused by going green, (or at the least, Energy Star certified): "Preliminary figures for the NYSERDA program show that the market share for 2008 of ENERGY STAR homes will exceed last year's record of 17.4 percent of all homes built, as compared to permits issued. Through July, over 1,500 ENERGY STAR homes were completed during the year, resulting in more than $1.5 million in builder incentives. This translates to about 25 percent more homes and builder incentive dollars than at this point in 2007." Builders in upstate New York alone have delivered 12,500 ENERGY STAR homes and received nearly $14 million in incentives.
These figures just address New York State, not the entire home building industry. However, it's worth noting that incentives are in place to create more energy efficient housing and they're still in the infancy stage. With a real estate market that for the most part is still recessionary, at this point, one of the only ways to boost the bottom line is to delve further into researching, and then taking advantage of these types of programs.
Yes, it's still about the economy, so let's not, as they say, be "stupid."
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