The agreement at COP21 that was signed by over 200 nations was aimed at reducing every countries' carbon footprint by 2050. Construction firms can get a step up on the competition by switching to greener models of business and a way they can do this would be by presenting home buyers and builders with environmentally friendly avenues for construction and renovation. One step in the eco-friendly direction that construction firms can take would be to install electric tankless water heaters in every new home they build.
Why go green?
According to the U.S. Green Building Council, environmentally friendly building plans garnered 20 percent of the entire real estate construction industry – a cool $260 billion. Advancements continue to be made in an industry that never stops evolving. For example, construction firms that stayed with the 1950s model of cookie cutter homes soon found themselves ousted from the industry by firms offering customized designs. One further step in that process would be for firms to cater to a certain segment of the population, and that segment is making their voice heard in the buying process.
"Electric tankless water heaters are 0.99 energy efficient."
The National Association of Home Builders pointed out that 88 percent of home buyers list energy efficiency as a feature that entices them into purchasing a home, while 32 percent of home buyers categorize a home as green friendly if it is energy efficient. A way in which construction firms can break into the green friendly market would be to start building homes that are geared towards saving energy and reducing the carbon footprint. Electric tankless water heaters are 99 percent energy efficient, compared to storage water heaters which are commonly listed at 0.55-0.65.
Homes that are green friendly sell for more, according to the Institute for Market Transformation, and that means construction firms can enjoy a higher return on investment if they take the extra step to cater to a growing population's needs.
The extra benefits
As if gaining more of a market share and a greater value on homes built green friendly wasn't enough, there are other benefits that construction firms can bestow upon home buyers by installing an electric tankless water heater in their home.
Due to changing regulations in the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act, storage water heater dimensions will continue to grow to accompany energy saving technology. The latest revision that took place in 2015 will force manufacturers to make storage water heaters 2 inches wider in length and width. This means trouble for homes that had special alcoves created to house their storage water heaters.
"Costly renovations aren't necessary with electric tankless water heaters."
Homes will now have to hire a contractor to either renovate the space they've set aside for their storage water heater, or buy a new system altogether. Electric tankless water heaters will never fall subject to NAECA regulation changes as they are already compliant. This means construction firms can save homeowners from unnecessary expenses in the future by installing an electric tankless water heater now.
Another added benefit that accompanies electric tankless water heaters is the unrivaled safety they provide families. Storage water heaters tend to spike in temperature at the faucet because of temperature loss at the the site of the tank. Storage water heaters suffer from standby heat loss, which occurs when unused water that is left in the tank starts to drop in temperature. To account for this, the storage water heater heats it up even more, resulting in an uneven balance of heat throughout the water supply.
Children tend to be most at risk for scalds, according to the Burn Foundation. Construction firms can improve their selling process by including the fact that the electric tankless water heater is safe for children. Electric tankless water heaters tend to live 5-10 years longer than storage water heaters, a system that only survives for 10-15 years, and usually requires less maintenance to sustain longevity.
Construction firms can gain an easy edge on their competition by building green friendly homes for prospective buyers. Society is inching towards becoming entirely green friendly, and whoever jumps on the bandwagon first will reap most of the reward.