The National Association of Home Builders’ publishing arm, BuilderBooks, recently released, “What Green Means to Home Buyers: Perceptions and Preferences,” a study of consumer preferences focusing exclusively on green/high-performance features in the home and the community.

The study examines consumers’ attitudes of various green features, concepts or terminologies, the resonance of those terms as potential marketing tools, and the likelihood that the home purchase decision may be influenced by any of these features or terms.

Most respondents note that energy efficiency and lower operating costs are in the top five influencers in a home purchase decision. Common words that home purchasers use to describe green homes include efficient, energy efficient, water efficient and high efficiency.

A hard copy of the study is available at www.BuilderBooks.com; the ebook is available at ebooks.builderbooks.com.