Residential Research Quarterly: June 2018

Check out USGBC's second-quarter roundup of the top research on residential green building.
The weather is warm, and we have new research that is hot off the presses. This second quarterly roundup notes USGBC’s newly released case study on Cincinnati’s successful residential tax abatement program, a report on how energy efficiency and rooftop solar can benefit affordable housing owners and residents, a broader report on how the energy industry positively impacts jobs (including those in the residential sector), and a study on how residential consumers think about and execute energy management tactics.

Let’s dive in:

Transforming a City One Home at a Time: Cincinnati’s Successful Residential Tax Abatement Program | USGBC

Released in May, this USGBC case study profiles the City of Cincinnati’s residential tax abatement program, which offers higher incentives to LEED-certified projects. The program, launched in 1994 for commercial and large multifamily projects, has since expanded to include all residential projects—and all of the city as well. Since 2006, Cincinnati has enacted specific exemptions for 100 percent of improvement assessed as property value to LEED residential projects.

Our Powers Combined: Energy Efficiency and Solar in Affordable Multifamily Buildings | ACEEE

Conducted by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), this report examines how building owners are integrating energy efficiency upgrades along with rooftop solar to decrease energy usage and lower energy costs in affordable housing. The report includes findings from interviews conducted with affordable housing providers, program administrators and lenders. ACEEE found that solar projects have the potential to spur investments that significantly increase the energy efficiency of affordable multifamily buildings, when adequate financing is secured.

2018 U.S. Energy and Employment Report | EFI and NASEO

This report, conducted by the National Association of State Energy Officials and the Energy Futures Initiative, analyzed four economic sectors, including energy efficiency and electric power generation/fuels production. Evaluating the employment impact of new energy technologies, fuel efficiency and changing fuels deployment and evolving transmission and distribution systems, it found that energy sectors continue to contribute significantly to overall employment. Specifically for housing, the report found that over 43 percent of solar electric power generation workers focus on residential projects—many more than those charged with commercial and utility-scale projects.

Deloitte Resources 2018 Study | Deloitte

The eighth annual study polled more than 1,500 U.S. residential consumers and 600 U.S. businesses on their positions and strategies for energy management. In the report's summary, it shows that when residential consumers’ interest in reducing their carbon footprint increases, the relationship between residential consumers and businesses is strengthened, and businesses are more likely to deploy new tools for energy management. Also noted in the study is residential consumers’ increasing interest in using and expanding access to renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind power.

If you wish to suggest studies or news items we could share in the future, please contact Alysson Blackwelder.