The Refinishing Touch Blog

Energy-neutral buildings, once considered implausible, have begun to spring up throughout the nation as technology catches up with sustainable ambitions. Buildings and housing developments in Massachusetts, California and Arizona, planned or being built, utilize new, cutting-edge technology to produce or offset as much energy as they use. The government is also looking into applying the technology to reduce the energy usage of Federal buildings. This means that buildings, which currently account for about 40 percent of all energy usage in the U.S., will be able to lower their net energy usage to zero or near zero.

The technology exists for buildings to go energy-neutral, one of the major hurdles is cost. Despite growing popularity and slowly declining prices, the technologies that allow buildings to run on a net energy of zero are considered too high for the everyday homeowner to purchase: The estimated savings for switching to solar panels and wind-powered generators meets the initial outlay in about 12 years. While 12 years may seem like a long time, the amount of energy saved during that time alone means big benefits for the environment.

While net-zero energy technology is a huge help to the environment, it’s also shows that everyday homeowners can get involved in taking bigger steps towards sustainability and that large-scale changes are not limited to national hotel chains and corporate buildings. Every person can take steps to be more sustainable, and with any luck, as technology improves, tomorrow it will become ordinary for everyday people to adopt initiatives that today may seem extraordinary.