bridges vol. 11, September 2006 / Green Buildings Focus
by Lisa Surprenant

In the US, the traction gained by the ENERGY STAR© residential energy efficiency program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its signature logo illustrates how a voluntary home energy efficiency program can transform markets and conserve greenhouse emissions.  From light bulbs to heating equipment, American homes are becoming more efficient as a result of ENERGY STAR. Even Las Vegas is betting on efficiency as the primary way to save money on home energy bills.

The stakes are equally high in Europe where the average household could easily save as much as €1,000 per year by being energy efficient. Experts anticipate that the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) (http://www.euroace.org/reports/CIBSE_EUBD.pdf), which mandates energy performance labels on all buildings (homes included), will bring energy efficiency to the forefront of home owners' minds -and prevent 22 percent of the EU's CO2 emissions through improved building efficiency (http://www.sei.ie).

Efforts to publicize the need for "greener homes" in the EU began in January 2006 when the Directive was required to be legally transposed and generally put into effect. But, as ICF International (http://www.icfi.com) (EPA's collaborator for the ENERGY STAR for New Homes program) found recently, much coordination remains to be done before all countries can "go green."

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