Green Builder Media's Ronan Mirza runs through this week's sustainable building news, from the 21st Century Road to Housing Act and RESNET's first HERS rating program for manufactured homes to Google's move into real estate listings. He also covers California's heat pump permitting bill, new energy-efficiency appraisal standards, and the record surge in home battery storage.
00:00:05:13 - 00:00:33:16
Ronan Mirza: Hi, I'm Ronan, and you're watching this week's sustainable building news. The clock is still taking on the 21st Century Road to Housing Act. After winning overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress. The bill is still sitting on President Trump's desk. Unless he signs or vetoes it. The legislation is expected to become law automatically this Friday, July 10th. The package includes dozens of provisions aimed at boosting housing supply, modernizing manufactured housing, expanding financing options and lowering barriers to new development.
00:00:33:17 - 00:01:01:04
Ronan Mirza: We'll be watching to see whether the president acts or lets the clock run out. ResNet has launched the first Herz rating program for modern manufactured homes, bringing the same nationally recognized energy performance score used for site build homes to one of America's largest sources of affordable housing. That means buyers, lenders and utilities can finally compare energy performance apples to apples, and manufacturers may gain access to more incentive programs while giving homeowners lower operating costs.
00:01:01:06 - 00:01:22:23
Ronan Mirza: Speaking of manufactured housing, Vermont is promoting ultra efficient manufactured homes that use more than 50% less energy than conventional models. They cost about 21,000 more up front, but save homeowners up to $2,700 a year on utility bills. When you factor in a 30 year mortgage and those lower energy costs, the total cost of ownership is about the same and likely better over time as energy prices rise.
00:01:23:01 - 00:01:43:18
Ronan Mirza: The state needs roughly 30,000 new homes by 2029, and it's betting that manufactured housing can help close the gap. Google is making a bigger move into real estate, and it could shake up how homes are bought and sold through a new partnership with bright MLS and House Canary. Homeless scenes now appear directly in Google search results, with buyers contacting the listing agent instead of going through sites like Zillow.
00:01:43:22 - 00:02:04:22
Ronan Mirza: This is the influence of traditional listing portals. Give builders and brokerages a more direct path to buyers, and even create new ways to market. New home communities think those energy upgrades are paying off. Features like solar panels, better insulation, heat pumps and high performance windows can slash utility bills, but they often don't show up in a homes appraisal that could finally be changing.
00:02:05:00 - 00:02:24:06
Ronan Mirza: New appraisal standards rolling out later this year will require appraisers to document energy efficient features. But there's a catch. Homeowners still need to prove what they have. Michelle Learner's latest blog explains why documentation matters, how to make sure upgrades get recognized, and the simple steps that could add thousands to a homes appraised value when it's time to sell.
00:02:24:07 - 00:02:46:05
Ronan Mirza: California is trying to make heat pumps a lot easier to install. A bipartisan bill called the Heat Pump Access Act, or SB 222, is advancing through the state legislature after clearing another committee this week. The bill creates a single statewide permitting process cap permit fees, reduce inspection delays, allow remote inspections for qualifying projects, and limit high restrictions. Why does it matter?
00:02:46:07 - 00:03:07:17
Ronan Mirza: Experts estimate that 75 to 90% of heat pump installations in California happen without permits, because the current system is so inconsistent and complicated. Supporters say making the permitting process faster and simpler can be just as important as improving the technology itself, especially as California works toward a goal of installing 6 million heat pumps by 2030. Here's a surprise.
00:03:07:18 - 00:03:36:06
Ronan Mirza: Home batteries are booming even as residential solar slows down. Americans installed a record 673MW of home battery storage in the first quarter of 2026, with California, Hawaii, Texas and Arizona leading the way. Why state incentives, rising electricity prices, and new opportunities for homeowners to earn money by supporting the grid. In fact, many installers say batteries have become the bigger selling point, with some customers adding storage even when they aren't installing new solar panels.
00:03:36:10 - 00:04:00:23
Ronan Mirza: And maybe the next big shift in residential energy if you're trying to sell homes the way you sold them ten years ago, Gen Z has news for you. A new McKinsey consumer report finds Gen Z is rewriting the rules of buying. They discover products through social media, use AI to shop even though they increasingly don't trust AI, rely on wearables to manage their health, value experiences over possessions, and increasingly by second hand instead of new.
00:04:01:00 - 00:04:36:20
Ronan Mirza: For builders and manufacturers, the takeaway is clear tomorrow's home buyers won't just ask about square footage. They'll want to know how a home supports their health, lifestyle, technology and long term value. Our Editors Product of the week is Building Products New line, a beautiful wood free engineered cladding and exterior materials made with rice husks and advanced polymers. The company's composite technology transforms agricultural byproducts into durable, low maintenance building materials designed to reduce environmental impact and resist moisture, UV degradation.
00:04:36:20 - 00:04:59:22
Ronan Mirza: And where this week's cognition hot take has a simple premise a house that doesn't perform offers zero value in one chart. You can see how consumers rank characteristics of a house. The top three desired characteristics are lowest long term costs, highest comfort and well-being, and improved quality of life. These beat out best investment potential, lowest upfront costs and enhance the statics and design.
00:05:00:00 - 00:05:26:01
Ronan Mirza: We're excited to share the Green Builder Media's cognition. Smart data research was recently featured in Forbes. The article highlights the five wellness bathroom features homeowners are actually spending money on heated floors, natural light enhancements, advanced lighting, smart controls, and comfort height toilets. The interesting part? Several of those weren't high on homeowners wish lists when they started planning their renovations, but they became must haves once they learned more about them.
00:05:26:03 - 00:05:49:18
Ronan Mirza: Don't forget to register for next week's free webinar. Understanding the ventilation puzzle. Join. Building science expert Darren was of Learning Edge for a practical deep dive into residential ventilation systems, indoor air quality, filtration code requirements, and performance verification. You can click the links in the notes to register for this event. See a list of important upcoming sustainable building events and to learn more about the stories in today's episode.
00:05:49:20 - 00:05:57:05
Ronan Mirza: For this podcast to a colleague or friend, we're growing the Green Builder Media Network with your help. Thanks for watching. See you next week.
00:05:57:07 - 00:06:08:10
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