But, for all the advantages provided by suburban living and its considerable popularity, why did a Gallup poll find last month that homeownership rates have plunged to a record low of 62 percent?

"Why are the giants of the building industry, the creators for decades of massive communities of cookie-cutter homes, cul-de-sacs and McMansions in far-flung suburbs, doing an about-face?" asks a May 15 USA Today analysis on the changing housing market. "Why are they suddenly building smaller neighborhoods in and close to cities on land more likely to be near a train station than a pig farm?"

This seismic shift in homeownership habits can be traced back to a variety of factors that arose in the last five years, including the bursting of the housing bubble, spiking gas prices that made extended commutes much more expensive and a general paradigm shift among Americans who are more conscious of their consumption habits.

As part of this change, consumers are increasingly coming to expect home energy efficiency when they build new properties or move into existing houses. Products like energy-efficient heating and insulation can trim a homeowner's monthly utility bill, while a comprehensive emphasis on energy efficiency in multiple aspects of the home can reduce consumption costs considerably.

To begin benefiting from energy improvements, consumers in the Tri-State area should not hesitate to contact an accredited Washington, D.C. home inspector. Once an energy audit is complete, the inspector will be able to tell a homeowner the best ways to begin saving money immediately.

One of the most popular products currently on the market are "smart" thermostats that gradually learn a homeowner's indoor temperature preferences so that it is eventually able to adjust conditions accordingly. This way, if a homeowner forgets to alter the temperature before going to bed or taking a vacation, energy will not be needlessly wasted. Considering that home heating costs can climb to nearly 30 percent of a homeowner's monthly utility bills, these products could be extremely valuable.

Other similar systems are able to tell a homeowner – in real-time – which appliances are the biggest draw on the home's electricity at any given time. With this information, homeowners can see immediate benefits in their utility bill.

"Having this information in real time, rather than once a month in a billing statement, helps you quickly identify which appliances are the biggest hogs so you can turn them down or off," Jim Witkin writes for The New York Times' blog Green. "Knowing the price you are paying at that moment allows you to use less when prices are highest, based on your rate plan with the utility."

Unfortunately, consumers have not yet responded to these types of products in earnest. Part of the explanation could be related to the fact that some may not think they know enough about energy efficiency to justify purchasing these products. This is where a Washington, D.C. home inspector can play a vital role, as he or she can conduct an energy audit on a home and explain to the consumer where savings might exist.

The Echo system, which makes a standard home about 80 percent more efficient, is similar to those that rely on solar panels to provide energy to a home, but it does so on a larger scale. This particular system cools the area surrounding solar panels found on the roofs of homes, which is critical because molecules that go through this photovoltaic process are generally more effective when they are not as hot.

Solar panels use photovoltaics technology to power homes, which essentially involves converting sunlight into electric energy. This technology is found with wristwatches, traffic lights and many other common materials that derive power in a similar manner.

North Carolina is the first state on the East Coast to have widespread access to this technology following a partnership between a local homebuilding company, energy solutions provider EchoFirst and Southern Energy Management (SEM). The building company offers buyers the Echo technology as a standard option, which is beneficial to consumers in the state who do not have much access to financial incentives related to energy upgrades.

"There's absolutely no doubt that their homes are selling two to three times faster than the competition," said Gordon Handelsman, EchoFirst co-founder.

In states that are more generous with handing out incentives for energy updates, homeowners should contact a local provider of energy audit services to determine the most effective strategies to undertake as they cut their energy bills.

The report has drawn the ire of Maine senator Susan Collins, who expressed frustration that the houses had previously passed inspection, even though they were surely in disrepair at that time. She did not appreciate that taxpayer money was being channeled into the properties when their owners did not properly maintain them.

"The bottom line is people who live in federally subsidized housing should expect decent, safe, and sanitary conditions," Collins said, according to The Bangor Daily News. "Unfortunately, this report shows that federal funds are instead going to property owners who fail to properly maintain their units. This is absolutely unacceptable."

Although states of disrepair varied depending on the property, photographs taken in the homes found plaster and other forms of debris throughout both the interiors and exteriors of the building, faulty and dangerous electrical wiring hanging down from ceilings and mold growth that resulted from a ceiling collapse.

While the discouraging results of the inspections point specifically toward inadequacies in Maine's public housing program, it also reveals the importance of regular home inspections to guarantee that properties remain safe to residents, offering them an environment that is conducive to them raising families.

This incident brings back memories of a similar flare-up involving veterans' homes in Norfolk, Virginia, that this blog reported on in January. At the time, a Washington, D.C. home inspector found significant mold growth in the properties, which could have been saved had they been more closely monitored.

Homeowners can learn from both incidents by using a dehumidifier in the more humid months and in part of the home that are not well ventilated. This will prevent the need for a regular mold inspection, but having one certainly cannot hurt.

"There's a constant flow through all the joints and connections that exist in the building so typically when someone comes in to air seal the home the two places they spend a lot of time is up in the attic and then down in the basement getting the cold to stop leaking into the basement and getting the heat to stop leaking out from the attic," Paul Crovella, from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, told New York news source YNN Rochester.

During an energy audit, an experienced inspector should be able to determine whether attics or basements are not properly sealed off. Homeowners may consider installing insulation and adding caulking to any windows. Close attention should also be paid to the spots at which attic and basement walls abut the rest of the home, as they are often responsible for any air leaks.

Inspectors might also recommend the use of an attic ventilator during the summer to keep attics cool and prevent air conditioning from running constantly during the summer. This is a fairly simple addition to make, although it can produce lasting savings if done properly. In the winter, attic temperature moderation can actually help reduce mold growth. If the attic gets too hot, air could condense on the cold underside of a roof – that water could then drip down into the attic and produce mold spores.

Plans have been in the works to tackle the building's energy consumption for the last three years. After a series of commercial inspections, building owners decided to spend approximately $20 million to better manage lighting, enhance the building's heating and insulation and make windows more efficient. The renovations are expensive, but considering that savings are expected to reach $4.4 million annually, they should pay for themselves in four to five years.

"After one year, we have proven that investing in energy efficiency gives building owners a dollars-and-cents advantage," Dave Myers, whose company conducted the retrofit, told CNN Money.

The renovations come at an ideal time, as just last week, the Empire State Building lost its title as the tallest building in the city, as ongoing construction on One World Trade Center gave it the honor instead. The owners of both buildings have been competing for tenants and will continue to do so in the coming years, so the energy upgrades to the Empire State Building may compel some businesses to keep their offices there.

If the owners of one of the tallest buildings in the world can find ways to generate energy cost savings, then other businesses should also be able to make similar changes. For commercial property owners in the Tri-State area, a D.C. inspector can survey a space and then rely on years of knowledge and experience to determine which upgrades would be most cost-effective.

For most consumers, incandescent light bulbs represent a technology that they have grown up around, as the warm glow from these bulbs greeted them every evening in their homes. Some are still not accustomed to the somewhat different hue of light that CFL bulbs give off, although companies are constantly improving even this downside, as newer bulbs that give off a warmer light are also available for sale.

Writing for The Huffington Post on May 7, ConservAmerica vice president David Jenkins said that much of the controversy over the government's new standards for energy-efficient light bulbs is inappropriate given the benefits of the bulbs. He praises the innovations that helped produce the new bulbs and reminds his readers that consumers still have a choice to buy CFL bulbs, their incandescent predecessors, or newer LED bulbs, depending on their preferences.

"Now that everyone can see that rumors of the incandescent bulb's demise were greatly exaggerated, it is time to let our elected officials know that dim-witted efforts to roll back or impede enforcement of the new lighting standards will carry a political price," Jenkins writes. "If our elected officials are willing to mislead the public and turn their backs on such easy energy savings, they are probably not capable of leading us to a brighter future."

Reluctant homeowners who still refuse to use any lighting fixture that does not include an energy-efficient bulb may want to consultant with a Washington, D.C. home inspector with knowledge of lighting options. This housing professional may be able to change their minds and set them on a path toward lower utility bills.

At the time of sale, buyers will often request a home inspection in order to find structural problems with a property or other maladies, such as mold, that could cost the buyer a significant amount of money to repair. Still, energy audits have been shown to be profitable for both buyers and sellers alike.

Boston real estate broker Leland DiMeco told The Washington Post that an energy audit he recently insisted upon ended up netting sellers an extra $50,000 that they had not originally anticipated, after they fixed many of the home's energy efficiency problems. Buyers were willing to pay a premium because the sellers were upfront and transparent about changes they had made before putting the home on the market.

"[An] audit might save the buyer thousands of dollars in future operating costs by pinpointing features of the house that need correction to improve efficiency," according to the newspaper. "It might also be a tip-off to a sobering reality: This house is an energy guzzler. And that might prompt the buyer to say: Either the asking price comes down, the seller fixes the problems, or I walk."

Homeowners will ultimately need to determine whether an energy audit is worth the cost, and should they decide to do so, their real estate agent should know of an experienced D.C. home inspector working in the area who has experience with energy audits.

As a result, builders have had to find creative ways to gain a competitive advantage in the eyes of consumers. The rise of green energy initiatives over the last few years has caused many consumers to realize the long-term benefits of such improvements. While the current share of new green homes is about 17 percent of the market, that figure could rise to more than 30 percent by 2016, according to SustainableBusiness.com.

Some of the most common energy upgrades include additions of energy-efficient heating and insulation, primarily because of the high cost of keeping homes at the correct temperature over an extended period of time. In some parts of the country – particularly in regions with the lowest temperatures – heating costs can surge to nearly 30 percent of total home energy costs.

"In the current residential market, there is an enormous need to differentiate your homes for consumers," Harvey Bernstein of McGraw-Hill Construction said in a press release. "When builders are able to offer homes that not only are green, but also offer the combination of higher quality and better value, they have a major competitive edge over those building traditional homes."

If consumers cannot afford to a build a new home, they instead may integrate energy-efficient upgrades into their current properties at a more affordable cost. By working with a Washington, D.C. home inspector, a homeowner can have an energy audit completed on their home, which should set them on a path toward slashing their utility bills.

The three-month long USGBC Campus Conservation Nationals competition recently wrapped up, as students at 100 colleges and universities were able to generate energy savings equivalent to the annual energy use of 151 American homes.

"When you see a mobilization this large to actively reduce energy consumption and promote sustainability, it's clear that students are tired of waiting around for decision makers to address the issues at hand," the USGBC's Pat Lane said in a press release.

Social media proved to be an integral part of the competition, as students were able to post their accomplishments on Facebook and Twitter as a way to motivate individuals at other schools to keep up with the savings they were generating.

Many of the actions taken by students were related to their behaviors, such as minimizing the time they spent in the shower and turning off electronic devices when they were not in use. While these actions certainly go a long way in reducing energy output, more extensive changes can also be taken by American consumers who are interested in reducing their utility bills.

Homeowners have the option to install energy-efficient heating and insulation, reseal their doors and windows or even replace their current light bulbs with more energy-efficient CFL bulbs. Each homeowner is different – some only want to make incremental changes while others prefer overhauls of their properties. A simple consultation with a Washington, D.C. home inspector will ensure that the proper reforms are instituted in a cost-effective manner, so that homeowners ultimately end up generating long-term savings.