Oh, the good old days. One could buy a nice home for less than $100,000, Republicans and Democrats got along and energy was cheap. Of all the changes in the last few decades, the cost of energy has to be at the top and more change is coming. We will be building differently in the future—that is a guarantee because energy costs will not be dropping.
As we deplete our resources, the U.S. government reports that 36 percent of our total energy consumption is used in our buildings. Americans were first asked to be more energy efficient with our buildings. We politely rejected that idea, as energy was still affordable and we saw no reason to change. The government then offered incentives if we would demonstrate a serious commitment to energy savings; a few took advantage of the rebates but not enough to make a difference. The final step is here at our doorstep. We will be mandated and regulated change in making buildings more energy efficient.