People in general do not voluntarily reduce their energy consumption. Unless they are directly and drastically affected, they won’t make change. There are laws in place in countries and municipalities where energy efficiency and sustainability are successful.
We could greatly reduce our emissions with laws for homes to be energy efficient. In Taos, NM, where I live, we have a High Performance Building Ordinance that took effect in 2009. Commercial new construction must have a LEED rating, and new homes must have a low HERS score (lower is better). This is the only way builders and building owners are going to reduce emissions.
One negative about our new ordinance is that builders can opt out of building more efficiently, BUT! They must pay a fee to the state weatherization program. They are still reducing emissions, just not directly.
<~~ I installed solar thermal when I remodeled in 2007. The sun now heats our domestic hot water (kitchen, bath, laundry), and I have natural gas for back-up. My gas bill went from $1000/yr to $200/yr! With tax credits today, the savings would be even greater. Why don't more people do this? You save money AND reduce emissions. Win/win!
Why isn't solar thermal required in all building codes? It should be along with other energy efficient measures, since solar is not suitable for every site.
Read about the success of solar thermal required in building codes in Israel, China and Australia in this article by Susan Kraemer at Clean Technica.
(Read about my remodel, Solar Retrofit 2007.)
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found your site on del.icio.us today and really liked it.. i bookmarked it and will be back to check it out some more later
Thanks! I appreciate it!