The financial case for sustainable building

By Emma Peterson.

As homeowners look for smarter investments, products like Enverge are demonstrating how sustainability can lead to lower operating costs, enhanced comfort and long-term value.

In a poll of about a thousand homeowners across the U.S., Allison Hadley of American Home Shield (AHS) found that “77% of homeowners believe green homes will hold their value better than traditional homes, particularly as climate change continues to affect how we live in this country.” And they’re not wrong. Building and owning a sustainable structure brings a variety of benefits, including but not limited to some pretty powerful cost savings.

How do sustainable structures create cost savings? The first and most obvious way that building sustainably leads to financial savings is through rebate programs. These programs reward projects and owners who make the investment into sustainable products with tax refunds. Notably, the U.S. Department of Energy just released $8,000 this summer for households making “energy-efficient upgrades, including insulation, air sealing, heating and cooling equipment, water heaters, duct sealing, appliances and lighting" through a new rebate program (Home Owner Managing Energy Savings or HOMES).

But rebates aren’t the only way to get savings from sustainability. Sustainable structures also often create savings for owners by lowering operational costs, like heating or cooling. What does this look like in action? A great example is spray foam products. Enverge explains on their website, " Spray foam insulation delivers the best combined thermal and air sealing performance of any continuous insulation material available...[This creates a] more energy-efficient, longer-lasting buildings for generations to come.”

In other words, Enverge’s spray foam insulation keeps the temperatures of buildings more stable so that on hot days it keeps heat out and on cold days it keeps the cold out better than buildings with other forms of insulation. The result is a lowered load for the building’s HVAC system, which results in lower energy usage and lower bills.

And spray foam insulation is just the tip of the iceberg. Enverge’s parent company, Amrize, “delivers high-performance solutions that make the entire building envelope more sustainable for customers around the world.”

Learn more about Enverge and Amrize products that qualify for rebates and foster long-term operational savings.