Scott Adams — the Scott Adams responsible for Dilbert — is in the process of building a home. He wants it to be as energy efficient as possible but is having a hard time getting good materials:

"Okay, fine, so how do I get the best windows? That’s not so easy. It looks as if the big name window manufacturers carry only windows of average to good energy efficiency while the super efficient windows are made by someone named Karl in his woodshed. And my builder doesn’t know Karl."

Essentially, the market hasn't caught up to demand yet. There's a demand for energy efficient homes (even if buyers have to remodel to get them), but quality materials seem to be out of reach.  And demand is only going up: with energy  prices  rising, well-off cartoonists aren't the only people looking to make their homes more effiicient. Making materials available to conumers — as well as the information needed to choose between them — is going to make the trailblazing companies a whole heck of a lot of money. Right now, though, everyone's waiting on real estate agents and building material suppliers to make some changes in the way they do business.

Photo — Smallbox