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Small is Beautiful U.S. House Size, Resource Use, and the Environment
Author(s) -
Wilson Alex,
Boehland Jessica
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of industrial ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.377
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1530-9290
pISSN - 1088-1980
DOI - 10.1162/1088198054084680
Subject(s) - single family detached home , resource (disambiguation) , passive house , single family , energy consumption , efficient energy use , storm , quality (philosophy) , environmental quality , portion size , environmental science , agricultural economics , environmental economics , civil engineering , geography , economics , engineering , meteorology , ecology , computer science , archaeology , computer network , zoning , electrical engineering , biology , philosophy , chemistry , food science , epistemology
Summary As house size increases, resource use in buildings goes up, more land is occupied, increased impermeable surface results in more storm‐water runoff, construction costs rise, and energy consumption increases. In new, single‐family houses constructed in the United States, living area per family member has increased by a factor of 3 since the 1950s. In comparing the energy performance of compact (small) and large single‐family houses, we find that a small house built to only moderate energy‐performance standards uses substantially less energy for heating and cooling than a large house built to very high energy‐performance standards. This article examines some of the trends in single‐family house building in the United States and provides recommendations for downsizing houses to improve quality and resource efficiency.