It isn’t just Yuppies going green. A survey by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and McGraw-Hill Construction shows that “green” home are in demand by home buyers at all income levels. Robert Ivy, Vice President of McGraw-Hill Construction was quoted as saying:
“Fully committed to sustainability for the long-term, green home buyers and remodelers cut across all demographic lines, regardless of income, zip code or anything else. Builders are seeing great interest in green across all income levels.”
And to help low-income homeowners realize their dream of a greener home with lower energy costs, Miami-Dade County’s Community Action Agency offers a wide range of financial assistance programs. One of several programs assists with the installation of solar water heaters:
One of the most cost-effective ways to include renewable technologies into a building is by incorporating solar hot water. A typical residential solar water-heating system reduces the need for conventional water heating by about two-thirds. It minimizes the expense of electricity, which in some cases can account for 20% of a household’s income, for low-income residences, this can be a substantial impact.
According to Miami-Dade’s website:
CAA’s weatherization and energy conservation programs help to reduce the drain on low-income households and keeps investments circulating in local economies. For individual families the gain is immediate-average savings of 15% of their energy bills amounting to approximately $274 per year depending on fuel prices. Although modest, these savings are significant for many low-income families and directly benefit the community. For additional information about CAA’s Energy Programs, contact us at 786-469-4730.