Page 29 - Green Builder Nov-Dec 2020 Issue

THE STATE OF

SUSTAINABLE

BUILDING 2021

All in the family. Technology has been a lifelong thing for millennials, so using items like a tablet to search for a new home is second nature. CREDIT: SPIDERPLAY ISTOCK

MATURING MILLENNIALS They tend to think small. Millennials management systems) to reduce carbon
Ratiu notes that millennials’ interests in are looking for compact floor plans, low footprint, decrease energy bills, and increase
“family friendly lifestyles and a ordable monthly payments, and smart homes that self-su ciency. They also consider the abil-
housing” will replace prior affinities for are sustainable, e cient, and healthy. This ity to net meter, or feed energy back to the
bustling downtown shops and cafés. As audience segment is also intrigued by small grid, a badge of honor.
a result, millennials are considering new footprint living. While they are looking They want to integrate smart home tech-
options in housing, such as trading in conve- to upsize, it’s from a modest 800 to 1,000 nologies with solar energy systems, as well
nient urban condos for modest, mid-size city square feet to a slightly more indulgent 1,200 as streamlining connectivity and redundant
apartments and suburban homes, he says. to 1,500 square feet. technology to keep hubs, routers, servers,
According to COGNITION Smart Data Having grown up with technology, and in security systems and backup power supplies
research, the most active homebuyers in this an age where “green” was more than just a functioning.
audience are dual-income, college-educated color, millennials also want homes with the Furthermore, many of these homebuyers
couples that are living in dense apartment latest and greatest—and most environmen- believe that connected living technologies such
buildings and “want more space, have a tally compatible—technology. as smart thermostats, security, lighting, indoor
strong ethic of sustainability, are totally at Millennials have a high level of purchase air quality (IAQ) sensors, and leak detection,
home in the digital world, and are at their interest in solar technologies (including should be included as a standard o ering in a
peak homebuying potential.” photovoltaics, storage solutions, and power home purchase, not as an upgrade.

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