Net Zero Is Becoming a Long-Term Power Play

New COGNITION Smart Data shows a dramatic shift in buyer interest in all-electric homes, strengthening the business case for high-performance building. 

For years, the conversation around net zero homes has centered largely on energy savings and environmental impact. But something bigger is happening in the housing market: Buyers are redefining what makes a home valuable. They are increasingly looking beyond the purchase price to what a home will cost them over time.

According to COGNITION Smart Data, 97% of consumers say they consider long-term costs such as energy, maintenance and insurance when deciding whether to buy or remodel a home.

That makes energy efficiency, durability, resilience and operating costs part of the affordability equation—and gives builders a different way to think about the business case for net zero.

Buyer Interest in All-Electric Homes Surges

Another striking finding from COGNITION Smart Data is the speed at which attitudes toward electrification are changing. In 2024, just 36.7% of consumers said they would buy an all-electric home. In 2026, that number reached 73.4%. More than 90% also said they would build an all-electric home.

Buyers may also be willing to put money behind that preference. 30.5% say they would pay 5% to 10% more for an all-electric home, while another 10.4% would pay a premium greater than 10%. This suggests net zero and electrification are sustainability propositions and value propositions.

Getting From Interest to Net Zero

We compiled this new data into one handy resource, Getting to Net Zero: A Long-Term Power Play. It looks at how builders and remodelers can translate that market demand into actual homes. And it starts where high-performance building should: with reducing the energy load.

A well-designed building envelope, appropriate insulation, air sealing and high-performance windows can dramatically reduce the amount of energy a home needs. Builders are already moving in this direction. COGNITION Smart Data shows 63.4% of builders now use high-performance insulation, compared with 37.9% in 2024, and 63.4% use high-performance building envelope systems, up from 34.5%.

From there, the ebook explores ventilation and indoor air quality, efficient HVAC and water heating, smart energy management, solar, battery storage, net metering, and testing and certification.

The goal isn’t simply a house that uses less energy, but, rather, a house that is more affordable to operate, comfortable to live in, resilient when the power goes out and valuable over the long term. And, increasingly, that appears to be exactly the kind of home buyers want.

Download the complimentary ebook, Getting to Net Zero: A Long-Term Power Play, to explore the data and the building strategies behind the shift. 

Special coverage from the editors of Green Builder Media and COGNITION Smart Data. Developed with support from Panasonic and PowerShift by NV Energy.