Cash to Go Electric, Rice Husk Homes, and 97 Zero-Energy Senior Homes

From California’s gas-line debate to rice-husk siding and full-cost affordability, this week’s stories show housing testing new ideas for value and performance.

The business case for better-performing buildings is shifting. ENR reports green design revenue climbed 17% to nearly $12 billion, while green contracting revenue rose about 6% to almost $102 billion. Owners increasingly want proof that buildings lower costs, withstand disruption, and deliver long-term value. But growth is uneven: green multifamily contracting revenue fell 20%.

That value question is playing out in California, where a new law will require utilities to offer incentives to households facing gas service-line replacement so they can consider switching to electric appliances. The details still need to be set, but the debate is already clear: replace the gas line, or help a household go electric?

Heat pumps are part of that conversation. Trane’s new cold-climate system is designed to maintain full heating capacity at 5°F and keep operating at temperatures as low as -20°F. And even after federal tax credits ended, heat pumps accounted for 58% of U.S. space-heating equipment shipments in the first half of 2026, according to the Building Decarbonization Coalition.

Performance verification is also moving further into the mainstream. EnergyLogic has completed more than 100,000 HERS-rated home assessments, a milestone recognized by RESNET.

And resilience is shaping what comes next in housing. Portland’s RoseVilla is planning 97 new zero-energy-or-better senior homes, including a mass-timber building and a solar-powered resilience hub designed to provide backup power and emergency water during outages. The community expects the new homes to break ground in spring 2027.

Some new ideas are coming from unexpected places. Rice husks, an agricultural byproduct, are becoming siding and decking; researchers are also exploring rice-husk ash as a partial cement replacement.

Rice husks take on a new life in this wood-look kitchen with ACRE panels by Modern Mill, which are made from upcycled rice hulls. Credit: Modern Mill

In Oregon, Hacienda CDC is expanding its Mass Casitas program, pairing modular construction with mass timber. After a six-home pilot for wildfire survivors, the nonprofit is moving into predevelopment for 40 homes and exploring community land trusts to address land costs.

The people and ideas behind better homes matter, too. Projectific has launched a free podcast for LEED Green Associate and LEED AP BD+C candidates, with practice sessions and short lessons on green building fundamentals.

And on The Valuation Metric, Sara Gutterman talks with Alair Homes CEO Rob Cecil about what conventional housing measures can miss: how a home supports health, fits daily life, and adapts as needs change.

A new Green Builder Media COGNITION Smart Data report finds buyers are weighing that longer view. Nearly 42% of consumers surveyed say they realistically need a home priced below $200,000. Three in four would move for more affordable housing, and more than 40% would consider a home 25% smaller than the average new single-family home to own sooner. Efficiency, smarter use of space, and smaller homes could help lower the full cost. Read the report, Full Cost, Not First Cost, Will Unlock Future Housing Affordability. 

Watch the full This Week’s Sustainable Building News episode here or wherever you get your podcasts. Rather read the script? Here it is. Have a great sustainability news or trend story? Send it to Cati O’Keefe at cati.okeefe@greenbuildermedia.com

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