I feel your pain. Two days ago not far from you north I contacted a local paper sent them to several net-zero home spec designs on my website, energy and hygrothermal models noting that these homes have not been seen in the entire state nor region I am aware of. I even have accurate bar charts showing CO2, utility bills, mold resistant info, of the average home vs mine, etc...In addition, I have tried to get local economic developers, mayors, to understand the opportunities in "high performance" building's and solar. How better homes are affordable, sustain longer, creates jobs to boost economies, etc. Been trying to get low-income housing grants PIA. There is no market, no interest in even learning it. The politicians are too busy in meetings getting nowhere comfortable with the same old same old. Been struggling with "green lending" for my clients too.
My recent research shows TX is not a green state with no to little green markets. I did not find many renewable energy incentives. I did find a DFW utility offering $500/kw for solar, forgot who, with a waiting list. Dallas DFW is busting at the seems in housing shortages at price points below $250K according to http://www.metrostudy.com/local-view/dallas-ft-worth-market/
Dallas needing 132,000 permits in 2017. https://www.nar.realtor/news-releases/2016/09/nar-identifies-top-10-markets-in-dire-need-of-more-single-family-housing-starts
What I gathered from metro is that is next to impossible due to land and construction cost, and some builder greed net-zero specs would help solve due to the lower utility bill homes would have a higher LTV if appraised correctly.
Bottom line, in most US states the market is too uneducated with all the wrong people making decisions. The word "green" is a misnomer, it's all the industry understands and a large percentage of the green industry is not green. I won't get into why it just tick ppl off, especially the ones profiting while ruining it's future.
A better term "High Performance Building's" or "Passive Certified Building's" . One thing good the PHIUS did is make it very difficult to ruin it's name and missions. One has to use a very good software WUFI to certify designs. ERI rating vs Hers is another good one, and AGREEA appraisals go far beyond LEED, Energy Star, thank goodness. Getting appraisers interested in them another story. What we have here are energy codes ahead of most markets, most don't known HER score now ERI.
Probably have better luck in the higher rated Green States: http://aceee.org/state-policy/scorecard
Therefore we will be ceasing operations effective immediately due to
pending lawsuit brought forth by HGTV. We are being asked to stop
raising support and to give up any rights to a few domain names we had
purchased legally.
US media is such a mess I don't even watch TV anymore especially HGTV. You be better off on the internet u-tube or something. Educate the public about the costly health and maintenance issues with most new "green" construction that some people will want to know more, especially the young with new borns. Perhaps medical networks would have more of an impact.
http://energysmartohio.com/blog/which-indoor-air-quality-monitors-are-best-and-why
As more of these hit the market people will learn more that the DOE IAQ plus cert, HVAC standards, Green, can be misleading.
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