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Energy Efficient Houses Don't Necessarily Lead To A Smaller Carbon Footprint

Nov. 18, 2016

Only 2.5 percent of the listings in Buffalo, N.Y. use energy efficient terms, such as “solar panel” and “wind power.” Yet Buffalo is still has the smallest average carbon footprint among the 100 largest cities in the U.S.

According to Zillow Porchlight, nearly a quarter of the homes for sale in San Jose tout energy efficiency, but the California city has the fifth-largest carbon footprint.

Other metros with small carbon footprints, including New York City, Miami, and Washington, D.C., also have low shares of energy efficient homes on the market.

Energy-efficient technology is popular with millennials and West Coast homeowners, and could be catching on as a trend in some of the places that need it most. Homes with these features also tend to be priced at a premium. The median list price of homes with energy-efficient technology is 62 percent higher than homes without.

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