Green Is The Trend at Builders Show

Las Vegas, NV, Jan. 23, 2009--From electricity sparing appliances to flooring and siding made from sustainable materials, the housing industry this week rolled out a plethora of new, green products it hopes will lure homebuyers back into the market.

Despite visibly lower attendance at this year's International Builders' Show, a record 363 vendors were featuring green products, more than double the number last year, said Calli Barker Schmidt, a spokeswoman for the National Association of Home Builders.

The tide toward green building that has taken hold in recent years remained unabated as the industry looks forward to better days, convinced that energy-efficient homes outfitted with sustainable materials will be coveted by future homebuyers.

One example of a technology that has become cheaper is radiant floor systems, which function as heaters.

"Four or five years ago, it was pretty cost prohibitive," said Matt Belcher, president of Belcher Homes in St. Louis, Mo. "They're pretty affordable now, they're made better and are more efficient."

Many of the latest innovations were on display in the New American Home, billed as a state-of-the-art laboratory for new construction and built in Las Vegas in conjunction with the convention.

The 8,721 square-foot home features solar paneled awnings that draw energy from the sun and from sunlight reflected off the ground, walls made from insulated concrete and some 40 percent of its indoor lights from LEDs and compact fluorescents.

Many products at the convention don't represent advances of leaps and bounds, but rather modest improvements in how they're made or a wider variety of offerings.