Honest Buildings

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Permalink Reply by David Eggleton on April 6, 2012 at 9:29am

Riggs believes that increased knowledge about existing energy efficiency projects will spur increased demand for future projects.

'"Today, there is not enough demand for retrofitting existing buildings for energy efficiency,” said Riggs. “If you can create a way through transparency to showcase that an energy or lighting retrofit is a really positive thing for your company or building and you can get credit for that using our platform, then you can build demand."

- from the Forbes article Paul mentioned

Might Riggs' notion be true for the residential sector, as well?

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Permalink Reply by Paul Bowman on April 10, 2012 at 12:11pm

David, I posted a similar inquiry over at the RESNET-BPI group on LinkedIn, and got a single skeptical reply. But I'm corresponding a little with a guy at Honest Buildings to see what I can learn about their interest in residential. I'd love to see something like this take off, myself.

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Michaelyan on April 16, 2012 at 4:17pm

Hero gentlemen.

I have pondered such questions about spurring demand through greater transparency of the numbers of folks going green with their homes. The result: It can't hurt to try. We may gain more, though, from giving it that social media angle. I know some folks in Boston that launched web-based platforms for spurring demand for greener lifestyles. They were all-encompassing, versus something focused on home energy usage.

Patrick

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Permalink Reply by David Eggleton on April 16, 2012 at 6:10pm

"I know some folks in Boston that launched web-based platforms for spurring demand for greener lifestyles. They were all-encompassing, versus something focused on home energy usage"

Patrick, who was that?

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Michaelyan on April 17, 2012 at 5:39am

David,

One was a Cambridge-based entrepreneur by the name of Jason Karas (Carbon Rally), and the other a Mom turned enviro superstar by the name of Susan Hunt Stevens (Practically Green).

Patrick

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Permalink Reply by David Eggleton on April 17, 2012 at 5:54am

Thanks.  I found them on Facebook and sent each a note.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Bowman on April 16, 2012 at 7:26pm

Interesting, in this site's case, that it doesn't seem to present itself explicitly in 'green' terms, and that by being about buildings of all types, it addresses potentially a huge cross-section of life without being about lifestyle. Significant question, though, to my mind, whether the kind of residential properties most of us go home to will see the same kind of attention there that big &/or expensive properties see.

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Permalink Reply by David Williams on April 19, 2012 at 8:04am

I believe that consumer access to smart metering data (gas, electric, etc.), combined with environmental monitoring, can give consumers the same desire to embrace energy efficiency that speedometers and fuel gauges have given them in their cars.  Upon installation we get to see how and when we consume, then we can formulate effective measures that are specific to that user.  This will encourage investment in efficiency, in affordable steps, for that particular building.  The cost of monitoring has reached an affordable level and we need to encourage access to the data that is available with new smart metering technologies.  Home energy monitoring is easy to included in new construction and simple wireless solutions are available for existing buildings.  Who doesn't know how many miles per gallon they get, when gas is $4.50 a gallon?

Finding the right color of green can be half of the battle.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Bowman on April 19, 2012 at 12:58pm

I've got a phone conversation with a Director of Customer Development at Honest Buildings on calendar for tomorrow. Anybody have questions they'd like me to ask? If so, post below.

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