According to the National Association of Home Builders, Americans will spend nearly $233 billion on home remodelling in 2007. To help make sure the work results in more energy-efficient, sustainable buildings, many local governments sponsor green building programs that provide educational programs and other resources for homeowners. Examples of programs include:

• Austin Green Building Program offers “Green by Design,” a full-day workshop for homeowners. This workshop is designed to prepare homeowners to build, buy or remodel a home that saves energy and water, is more comfortable and requires less maintenance.
• Seattle published a series of Green Home Remodel Guides and has licensed the guides for use and adaptation by other municipalities. The guides give guidance on materials and strategies to create homes that are healthy, save money, and are easy on the:
  • Remodel Overview
  • Bath & Laundry
  • Kitchen
  • Painting
  • Landscape Materials
  • Roofing
  • Hiring a Pro
  • Salvage & Reuse
• Portland, Oregon, hosts an annual Build It Green! Tour of Homes. The 2007 tour features eighteen remodels and new homes, two high-rise residential condominiums and one co-housing development. The green homes showcase a variety of ways homeowners are conserving energy and other natural resources while creating beautiful, unique and healthy homes.

A few leading municipalities have adopted green residential ordinances that require green building practices in both new construction and remodel projects.

• Boulder, Colorado, Green Building and Green Points ordinance requires new residential construction and remodel projects to achieve specified levels of performance for energy efficiency and green building practices, including construction waste management.
• San Francisco, California, residential energy ordinance applies to single and multifamily projects to achieve energy efficiency and water conservation upgrades at or before time-of-sale.