We’ve got a new entrant into the world of forecasting the
construction industry and this one in its initial report provided some very
interesting insight. The USG & US
Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index provided by Dodge Data made
its debut and it’s a quarterly index of commercial construction through the
eyes of the contractor world. The report
featured a “Confidence Index” that pegged in at 76, which meant it was squarely
in the “healthy market” zone and included a ton of survey detail on everything
from hiring to green building practices.
The eye-catching thing for me was the green aspect and what I would
consider a surprising lack of enthusiasm or usage on such products. The survey showed that only 26% of
respondents see requests for energy efficient products and only 30% seek them
out in a major way. 68% either seek them
out a little or not at all. The majority
of people requesting or working with energy products are from larger firms (100
million and over) where 48% request and use green related products vs. small
ones (under 10 million) who checked in at 7%.
There are a few things here though that jump out at me… is it possible
that the respondents don’t realize they are seeking out energy efficient
products? After all so many products have
gained performance over the years. Do
you consider a double silver low e an “energy efficient” product? Or does it have to be triple silver? Or with BIPV?
Not knowing how someone one
defines energy efficiency is a major question for me. Still it is scary that so many in a major
position of power admit they only sparingly look for products that could make
an energy difference. I would assume a
lot more on this will be coming out over the next days/weeks/months and I look
forward to the 3rd Quarter report to see what else is involved and
how the “Confidence Index” is doing.
I’ll obviously keep you appraised on here…
Elsewhere…
-- Its been a while since I have given props on a new or
updated website… so time to shine the spotlight again and this one goes to WAWilson for their awesome refresh. Yes,
my brother Steve is an owner there but even if he wasn’t I would absolutely
point out the fresh and very effective approach that they took. So congrats to my brother, Bobby Hartong and
everyone at WA Wilson who made this happen.
-- Really interesting read here on the trees being planted at
Apple’s new campus HQ and the difference they will actually make with regards
to the carbon footprint.
-- GlassBuild America note… when you registered did you sign up
to come to see Cam Marston at the opening session? Remember the opening session is open to all… so
if you are going to be there and ready for the show, I strongly recommend
adding this to your schedule. Those who
have seen Cam speak previously raved about the insight he brought so I don’t
think you will want to miss it. A note
in an e-mail from GlassBuild summed it up:
Build your
workforce. Key to addressing the industries' workforce challenge is recruiting
young people. GlassBuild America attendees will have the opportunity to hear
generational expert Cam Marston address this subject during the GlassBuild
America Opening
Session—OPEN TO ALL. He will share how understanding the differences
of each generation, from Baby Boomers to Millennials, can help attract and
retain a new generation of employees. Attendees will walk away with actionable
ideas to help them effectively manage across the generations.
-- Last this week… can you believe football season is about to
start? NFL preseason kicks off this
coming week. College (which I love) is a
month out. My goodness. Time is flying at warp speed.
LINKS of the WEEK
The Pacific NW has had a brutal run with their highways…
last week eels… this week dough. Lots of
dough…
Our schools are a mess.
This story is a part of that.
VIDEO of the WEEK
Tom Dixon is an up and coming country artist and one that
has his heart in the right place. He
does tons of charity and his latest is the song “Alive Day” that supports the
Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes charity that I have noted from time to
time. The official music video is strong….
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