Homebuyers aren't buying square footage anymore. They're looking for homes that work for them, homes that cost less to run, keep their families safe when the storm rolls in, generate their own power when the grid goes down, protect their physical and mental health, and deliver a better lived experience day after day.
Our latest COGNITION Smart Data Energy Insights survey reveals some unmistakable conclusions. When we asked buyers what they're focused on, the answer is consistent across every generation: they're more focused on long-term value and ongoing operating costs than on upfront price and cost per square foot.
When asked which features matter most in a home designed to reduce long-term costs, 67.8% of respondents listed energy efficiency for lower utility bills as their top priority. Efficient layout–optimized space, not more of it–followed at 56.9%. And 49.5% chose a smaller home specifically to reduce upfront cost.
Read those three together and you have a consumer who has done the math. They want a smaller home that performs better, because they understand that the mortgage is only part of what they'll pay.
Two years ago, one of the biggest barriers to high-performance products was simply that people didn't know what they were. That barrier is falling fast.
Familiarity rose across the board between 2024 and 2026 for heat pump HVAC, battery storage, smart leak detection, hybrid heat pump water heaters, solar PV, and smart electrical panels. Our takeaway: when consumers understand what a technology does, they start asking for it by name.
Here is where the data gets genuinely interesting for anyone specifying products. Asked to rank energy efficiency upgrades by importance, respondents put upgraded insulation first, followed by windows and roof.
Asked separately how they are actually reducing energy load in their homes, they named the same three: high-performance insulation at 66.9%, windows and doors at 46.8%, roofs at 44.2%, with high-performance HVAC close behind at 42.2%.
Intent and action are aligned, and that is new. In past years, homeowners told us they were upgrading appliances and thermostats–the visible, swappable, weekend-project items. Now they are focused on envelope upgrades. That is a meaningful maturation.
Seventy-three percent of respondents now say they would buy an all-electric home.
The reasons behind that number are worth reading closely.
Reducing environmental footprint remains the top motivation at 36%. But having a "higher performance and more comfortable home" nearly doubled, from 10% in 2024 to 18% in 2026. "Save money" slipped from 31% to 26%. And a new answer appeared entirely: 5% now cite resilience and the ability to run off grid.
Ask what they would invest in to convert a home to all-electric, and the ranking has flipped from what we saw a few years ago.
Whereas smart thermostats, appliances, and lighting used to claim the top position, battery storage now tops the list at 56.5%, followed by solar panels at 53.2% and smart electrical panels at 38.3%. Demand-side energy management, a term most consumers could not have defined two years ago, lands at 32.5%.
Two data points moved far enough to deserve their own headline. First, the motivation for going solar has fundamentally reordered.
"Increase self-sufficiency" more than doubled, from 23% in 2025 to 49% in 2026, while "save money" fell from 30% to 17%. Solar is no longer driven by financial considerations, it now represents energy independence.
Second, smart electrical panels went from obscure to obvious in roughly eighteen months.
In March 2025, 57% of respondents said they didn't know enough about smart panels to form an opinion about them. By July 2026 that dropped to 26%. Over the same period, "I am considering using them" doubled from 26% to 53%.
The most common objection to high-performance home is that consumers say they want it but won't invest in it. Our data says otherwise.
Asked what premium they would pay for an all-electric home, 30.5% said 5-10% more and another 24.7% said 2-5% more. Add the 10.4% who would pay more than 10% and the 11% who would pay 1 to 2%, and better than three out of four buyers will pay something additional. Only 23.4% said they would not pay a premium at all.
Intent is encouraging, but the installation numbers speak for themselves.
Solar panels installs increased from 9% of respondents in 2024 and 10% in 2025 to 47% in 2026. Battery storage swelled from 3% to 5% to 45%. Smart electrical panels climbed from 4% to 29%, and demand-side energy management from 2% to 28%. These astonishing growth numbers indicate a market crossing a threshold.
When tracking year-over-year willingness to embrace sustainable products and technologies, not one category moved backward.
Efficient appliances, smart thermostats, efficient lighting, high-performance insulation, windows and doors, heat pump HVAC, battery storage, solar photovoltaics—all categories increased.
Put all of it together and the conclusion is hard to avoid: consumers are making decisions based on full cost. They are prioritizing the building envelope and electrifying for comfort and independence as much as for savings. They are willing to pay a premium for sustainability upgrades. And they are installing enabling technologies at rates that would have seemed implausible two years ago.
For builders, developers, and manufacturers, the practical takeaway is simpler than it sounds. Stop selling what homes have. Sell what they do, and how they will improve people's lives. Plan for the future buyer, not the last one.
Affordable doesn't mean cheaper. It means more stable, more efficient, and less risky over time. That is what consumers are telling us they're buying.
As the market changes, one thing won't: our commitment to giving you the tools to stay relevant and resilient. COGNITION Smart Data is your roadmap for navigating the hard turn in sustainability—and winning in a market that increasingly rewards companies who adapt. Whether you're mastering the fundamentals of high-performance building or pursuing advanced net-zero strategies, we're here to help you stay ahead of the curve.