Study Suggests Consumers Value Energy Efficiency Over Luxury
Home buyers say they would rather have Energy Star appliances than a pool or home theater.
Author: Jennifer Goodman
The recently released annual Energy Pulse study from Shelton Group suggests that consumers in the market for a new home prioritize energy-efficient features over luxury items. Eighty-five percent said they’d pay more for an Energy Star-certified home, and their preferences for individual features bore that out: more people wanted Energy Star appliances in their new homes (52%) than wanted a pool (42%), a state-of-the-art sound system (40%), or a home theater room (29%).
Among the highest-income respondents ($100,000+ per year), the top five answers to the question “Which of the following features do you want your new home to have?” were Energy Star-certified appliances (59%), water-efficient toilets (58%), high-efficiency HVAC (58%), water-efficient showerheads (52%) and Energy Star home certification (51%). Luxury items, meanwhile, fell further down the list: 43% wanted a Wi-Fi enabled sound system, 40% wanted a poo l and 31% wanted a home theater room.
This article was originally published by Builder on June 13, 2016.