In the United States, buildings account for: Source: U.S. Green Building Council Yet, only 7% of American voters believe buildings contribute to greenhouse gases. We used to drive an average of 12,000 miles per year PER HOUSEHOLD. That number has rises to 22,000. Hybrid or not, that’s a lot of emissions. What’s to blame? Cities have grown without effective transit systems. Fluorescent Lambs have superior light quality, a wide range of color correctness, put out very little heat, and last longer than incandescent & halogen lamps. Plus, about 70% of the energy put it is in the form of light rather than heat (compared to 10% light to 90% heat in Halogen lamps). There is no significant cost increase in building “green”.
Figure 2. CO2 Emissions by Sector
Check out this US Carbon Footprint Map, an interactive United States Carbon Footprint Map, illustrating Greenest States to Cities. This site has all sorts of stats on individual State & City energy consumptions, demographics and much more down to your local US City level…
http://www.eredux.com/states/
There is no significant cost increase in building “green”.
I guess that depends on what you call a “significant” increase. Most people that I have seen starting up businesses are on very tight budgets, and when costs surpass the budgeted amount, “value engineering” begins. The lights are still fluorescent, but they are certainly not the most efficient types available, but out of what is still permissible to use, they’re the cheapest