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January 25, 2008
Green Building Public Awareness Campaign Plan
Prepared by
Florida Solar Energy Center
Focus
Florida’s per-household consumption of electricity is among the highest in the United
States, largely because the state’s hot and humid weather drives up electricity demand
for air-conditioning. Florida builds an average of 160,000 new homes each year, and
housing currently totals 7.3 million. Census Bureau data reveals that Florida will rank
third in terms of population in 2010. With these growing numbers, the construction of
energy-efficient buildings alone would significantly reduce Florida’s energy
consumption. Energy efficient improvements to existing homes would have an even
greater impact.
“Green” building programs seek to maximize performance rather than comply with
minimum codes. Beyond-code programs such as these also tend to address the number
one obstacle to energy-efficient homes – quality control of installed energy components.
While it is true that codes impact the largest number of new buildings, some of the
voluntary programs are gaining market share because consumers and builders are
interested in “doing what’s right.”
There clearly is a surge in consumer appetite for information about energy efficiency.
According to the National Association of Business Journalists, the number of news
reports about ‘green business practices’ more than doubled in the last year, and has
grown by almost 800 percent in the last five years in the country's top 10 newspapers.
At the same time, it is generally recognized that consumers have difficulty:
• Deciphering what “works” and what “doesn’t work” in terms of energy-efficient
and water-saving strategies for their homes.
• Determining the rate of return on costs for energy-efficiency and water-
conservation products and appliances.
• Understanding in simple terms how their decisions to conserve water and
energy add up to overall savings that benefit the community.
While attention to “green” seems more prominent now than ever, it’s a perfect time to
implement a strong public awareness campaign. In order to continue to keep “green”
efficiency and conservation strategies in the forefront of people’s minds, however, an
on-going campaign is necessary.