Does your home need work? Probably not this much; however, the nation’s housing stock is undeniably aged, the U.S. Census Bureau pegs the median (i.e. half above, half below) year built at 1973 according to HUD’s most recent American Housing Survey in 2007. In other words, our homes are even older given the initiation of a new census.

Additionally there’s the old saying about the finite supply of Earth, “You can’t make more land”. These facts led us to commit to a new mission for our company, to conclude that it’s past time to recycle our homes. Our economy and environment now demand it.

You don’t have to be a card carrying Tree Hugger to be a fan of saving time and money so we’re not suggesting everyone build a geo-dome, especially if the core structure of an existing house is sound. However, recent research from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies reveals home owners are flushing money. According to the State of the Nation’s Housing 2009, the residential sector consumes 21 percent, one-fifth, of our nation’s TOTAL energy usage. The researchers discovered that, if homes built before 2000 used the amount of energy per square foot of more modern homes built over the last decade, then residential consumption would drop by 22.5 percent. New homes are nearly a quarter percent more efficient. The findings were adjusted by region and, here’s the kicker, did NOT account for differences between older and newer homes based on layout, location and the residents’ consumption behavior. In other words, the study did not illustrate the potential savings if you made wise energy efficient changes by retrofitting or otherwise improving the existing housing stock.

BuilderFish is excited to know we can sustainably conserve without bull-dozing trees and entire buildings. We’re not even talking about major system changes like switching to solar. So regardless of government tax incentives to boost energy efficiency, which expire at the end of this year, WE, contractors and owners, can substantially boost energy savings and money in our pockets simply by making the old new again, by smartly recycling our houses.