Green Builder Media's Ronan Mirza covers this week's sustainable building news, from a package of congressional bills aimed at fixing housing's construction financing bottleneck to a Northern California virtual power plant paying homeowners up to $6,000 to share their home batteries. He also reports on Pennsylvania's ADU legislation, heat pumps overtaking air conditioners, and Sweden's crystal-shaped sauna at Europe's first climate action park.
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Ronan Mirza: I'm Ronan, and you're watching this week's sustainable building news. There's a ton to unpack here, so let's get right to it. For years, we've heard the same prescription for America's housing shortage reform, zoning, speed up permitting, and build more homes. Now, Congress is targeting a different bottleneck. How builders finance construction. Representative Scott Fitzgerald has introduced three housing bills aimed at making it easier and cheaper to build homes.
00:00:31:11 - 00:00:54:16
Ronan Mirza: The biggest proposal would let Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac purchase qualifying construction loans, giving lenders more confidence to finance new developments. Why does this matter? Construction loans are costly and risky, pushing many builders toward higher end projects with bigger margins. The Working family's Home Construction Act would lower financing costs for homes aimed at middle income buyers, helping fill a gap that's grown across the country.
00:00:54:21 - 00:01:23:17
Ronan Mirza: The package also includes the Sustainable Homeownership Act, which would create a path for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to exit federal conservatorship, expand private investment in housing finance, and allow certain enterprise funds to support housing supply initiatives. A third bill would simplify mortgage disclosure rules, reducing paperwork and closing delays caused by minor technical errors. Together, the bills reflect a growing recognition that America's housing shortage is in part, a financing problem.
00:01:23:23 - 00:01:49:22
Ronan Mirza: The legislation faces an uncertain path. We'll keep you posted. In other legislative news, a bill moving through Congress could make VA home loans more expensive for many veterans to help fund an expansion of veterans benefits. Lawmakers are proposing to significantly increase several VA loan fees. The fee for the VA's popular interest rate reduction refinance loan would jump from 0.5% to 1.42%, while the fee to assume an existing VA loan would double.
00:01:50:00 - 00:02:19:02
Ronan Mirza: Mortgage industry groups are pushing back, arguing that higher upfront costs could discourage veterans from refinancing into lower interest rates and reduce one of the program's biggest financial advantages. The bill is still making its way through Congress. Here's a problem that can make home batteries a whole lot more attractive. Homeowners and parts of Northern California can now earn up to $6,000 up front, plus ongoing monthly payments by connecting their Franklin W.H. Home Battery to a virtual power plant during periods of peak electricity demand.
00:02:19:03 - 00:02:40:22
Ronan Mirza: The battery helps support the grid, while homeowners still reserve backup power for outages. It's another son that home batteries are evolving from emergency backup systems into income generating energy assets, as utilities look for flexible ways to strengthen the grid. Programs like this could become a model for communities across the country. Here's an important story that shows just how serious states are getting about infrastructure.
00:02:40:23 - 00:03:05:19
Ronan Mirza: Virginia has approved a 28.5 billion transportation and infrastructure plan that will fund more than 4300 projects over the next six years. The investment covers everything from roads and bridges to rail transit and pedestrian infrastructure, and includes nearly $500 million for bridge improvements and almost a billion for public transportation. With federal infrastructure funding facing uncertainty, states are increasingly taking the lead on long term investments.
00:03:05:20 - 00:03:32:04
Ronan Mirza: It's a reminder that resilient communities aren't built one project at a time. They're built through sustained planning and funding over decades. Pennsylvania could become the latest state to make it much easier for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units, or ADUs. Bipartisan legislation requires cities and towns to allow backyard cottages, garage apartments, and basement rentals by right eliminating many of the zoning hurdles that can make these projects expensive and time consuming.
00:03:32:08 - 00:03:53:14
Ronan Mirza: Supporters say it's a practical way to add much needed housing without changing the character of neighborhoods. ADUs can help older adults age in place, giving young adults an affordable place to live and provide homeowners with rental income, all while increasing housing supply through what's known as gentle density. With Pennsylvania projected to be nearly 185,000 homes short by 2035.
00:03:53:15 - 00:04:16:01
Ronan Mirza: Lawmakers are betting that thousands of small housing projects could add up to one big solution. Sticking with state news, Massachusetts may have just avoided a major setback for energy efficiency. A new Senate energy bill rejected a proposed $1 billion cut to the state's nationally recognized mass Save program, which helps homeowners improve insulation, weatherization and energy efficiency through rebates and incentives.
00:04:16:02 - 00:04:39:07
Ronan Mirza: Supporters argue that while cutting the program might lower utility bills in the short term, it would cause consumers far more over time. In fact, analysts estimate that every dollar invested in mass save has returned roughly $2 in avoided energy costs. The bill still has to be reconciled with the House version, so the debate isn't over. But it's another reminder that some of the biggest energy savings don't come from producing more power.
00:04:39:08 - 00:04:59:12
Ronan Mirza: They come from using less of it in the first place, according to Canary Media. Heat pumps are on track to hit a major milestone. They may soon outsold traditional air conditioners in the United States. Just ten years ago, conventional AC units outsold heat pumps by 2 to 1, but in 2025, sales were virtually tied. And so far this year, heat pump sales continue to climb.
00:04:59:12 - 00:05:21:04
Ronan Mirza: All AC sales are dropping. That's a big shift because he pumps. Don't just cool your home, they heat it too. Using 2 to 4 times less energy than many fossil fuel heating systems. As technology improves in more states and utilities offer incentives, homeowners are increasingly choosing one system that can do both jobs. It's another sign that high performance all lecture homes are quickly moving from niche to mainstream.
00:05:21:05 - 00:05:44:06
Ronan Mirza: According to The New York Times, home sharing among older adults is growing. Instead of moving into assisted living or downsizing, many seniors are renting out spare bedrooms or sharing homes with other older adults through carefully matched home sharing programs. Home sharing can provide companionship, improve safety, and make better use of existing housing. At a time when millions of bedrooms sit empty while housing shortages persist.
00:05:44:12 - 00:06:11:11
Ronan Mirza: This trend gives builders an opportunity to rethink how homes are designed. Flexible floor plans with dual primary suites, private entrances, separate living areas, additional bathrooms and even lock off spaces can make it easier for unrelated adults to comfortably share a home while maintaining privacy. Builders can also incorporate features that support aging in place zero step entries, wider doorways, better lighting, accessible bathrooms, and smart home technology that enhances safety.
00:06:11:11 - 00:06:39:15
Ronan Mirza: And beyond single family homes, we're likely to see growing demand for cottage courts, cohousing communities and accessory dwelling units that allow people to live independently while staying connected. There's an old management saying if you can't measure it, you can't improve it. And that's exactly why this next story matters. For the first time, Maine has conducted a statewide survey tracking new housing production, giving policymakers a much clearer picture of whether they're actually making progress on the housing shortage.
00:06:39:17 - 00:07:04:05
Ronan Mirza: The early results are encouraging. The state issued enough building permits last year to slightly exceed its annual housing production goal. Just as important, the data is showing where new homes are being built and whether or not. As states race to close housing shortages, it's equally important to build homes that are energy efficient, resilient, healthy and affordable to own over the long term, not just affordable to build.
00:07:04:08 - 00:07:29:17
Ronan Mirza: Let's take a quick break from the headlines to spotlight a conversation that's bigger than any single news story. Greenville or Media's CEO Sara Gutterman just released a new episode of The Valuation Metric, where she asks a simple but provocative question what if the affordability crisis isn't really about affordability at all? She argues that we've been measuring value the wrong way for decades, and that it's time to look beyond price per square foot to the true cost of owning, building and valuing a home.
00:07:29:18 - 00:07:39:13
Ronan Mirza: If you're a builder, designer, developer, or anyone thinking about where housing is headed next. This one's worth your time. We'll drop the link in the description. Here's a clip.
00:07:39:15 - 00:08:07:00
Sara Gutterman: The transition is already underway and it's going to rock the fundamentals of housing. We've given a name to the metric that captures what price per square foot leaves out, and that is value per square foot. It accounts for energy, performance, resilience, health, durability, water, carbon, and the long term equity that a home actually builds. And buyers are reaching for this metric.
00:08:07:00 - 00:08:34:10
Sara Gutterman: Even before we've finished defining it, 83% of our consumer audience tells us that they would use a value per square foot rating to compare homes. 53% say that they always factor long term costs into home related decisions. And even though value per square foot is a brand new concept, barely even marketed or launched into the into the wider market.
00:08:34:11 - 00:09:00:04
Sara Gutterman: 27% of our consumer audience already names it the most useful metric for comparing homes. Running just behind total monthly cost and full cost of homeownership and far ahead of price per square foot. Sit with that for a moment. A metric most of the industry has never even heard of is already outperforming the metric that the entire industry was built on.
00:09:00:05 - 00:09:25:17
Ronan Mirza: You probably don't expect a sauna to make climate news, but it did, probably because it's so cool in northern Sweden. A beautiful, shimmering, crystal shaped sauna is a centerpiece of Europe's first Climate action Park, a former industrial site that's been transformed into a destination for art, education, recreation and ecological restoration. Sometimes the most compelling sustainability projects aren't just about reducing emissions, they're about showing people what a healthier future can actually look like.
00:09:25:19 - 00:09:55:10
Ronan Mirza: And this mammoth crystal is worth a look inside and out. This week's editors product pick is Newbury by Dull Tile, a ceramic wall tile inspired by handcrafted clay with its soft, organic texture, subtle glaze and modular sizes including 3D options, new bearings, warmth and artistry to kitchens, baths and feature walls made in the USA. New Bear Zero Talks certified for healthy indoor air quality and incorporates pre consumer recycled material, making it a beautiful choice for both wellness and sustainability.
00:09:55:13 - 00:10:15:05
Ronan Mirza: New bear will be featured in vision House Asheville, where will demonstrate how thoughtful material choices can add long term value, resilience and healthy design. Check the link in the show notes to learn more about New Bear and the other doll tile products being showcased throughout this new demonstration home. Let me leave you with an aspirational and enjoyable story you can check out in the Billings Gazette.
00:10:15:07 - 00:10:39:09
Ronan Mirza: What if your monthly utility bill for all utilities was less than five bucks? That's a reality for architect Randy Hefer and his wife Jana, whose home in Billings, Montana, proves that high performance housing can actually deliver their urban frontier houses. Montana's first Living Building Challenge certified home and a lead platinum project. So for ten years the couple has paid virtually nothing for electricity, water, gas or sewer.
00:10:39:10 - 00:10:58:20
Ronan Mirza: Their only remaining bills of $4.20 monthly Greek connection, which they hope to eliminate soon with additional battery storage. The home generates its own power with solar panels and a small wind turbine. Collects rainwater. Treats its own wastewater. Grows food on what used to be a parking lot, and was designed with durable materials that have required almost no exterior maintenance.
00:10:58:21 - 00:11:16:23
Ronan Mirza: For Hafner, this project was about proving that homes can be more resilient, less dependent on outside systems, and dramatically cheaper to operate over their lifetime. His philosophy is simple the fewer things your home depends on that you can control, the better off you'll be. That's our show. I hope you enjoyed it\! Hit subscribe and share and I'll see you next Wednesday.
00:11:17:01 - 00:11:28:03
Melina Mirza: Before you click away. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen. And don't miss the daily coverage on sustainability, housing and what's next for home building at Greenbelt. Com. Stay informed. Stay ahead.