Promising to reduce CO2 emissions and cut costs, retrofitting is fast becoming a big business.

McGraw-Hill Construction estimates green retrofit projects in the US will grow from $2.1 billion to $3.7 billion in 2009 to $10.1 billion to $15.1 billion by 2014.

When individual homeowners consider retrofitting investments, however, things can get a little blurry—particularly when it comes to windows.

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According to a survey in the “Q2 2010 Home Remodeling and Repair Index,” released by ServiceMagic, 59% of US homeowners considered green home improvement projects over the last quarter—showing a clear majority of Americans are aware of the energy efficiency benefits of retrofitting.

The problem is that consideration did not translate into construction.

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The healthcare industry has a new prescription for success.

The “2010 Energy Efficiency Indicator:Healthcare Sector” report, issued by the Institute for Building Efficiency, an initiative of Johnson Controls, and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE), found that healthcare organizations are increasingly focused on energy management.

In fact, 58% of healthcare decision makers said energy management is extremely or very important to their organization—and 65% said they are paying more attention to it than they were a year ago.

In the past year, healthcare administrators have taken a wide range of steps to reduce the amount of energy used by their facilities, led by more efficient lighting installations and upgrades in heating and air condition systems.

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Pike Research estimates cumulative global spending on desalination plants will total $87.8 billion from 2010 to 2016.

For more information on the rising success of the green building industry see Green Building Certifications Soar to New Heights.

A survey of global business executives by the Institute for Building Efficiency, a division of Johnson Controls, found energy management is most important to organizations in developing countries.

Energy management was rated “very” or “extremely important” by 85% and 80% of executives in India and China, respectively, well above the global average of 60%.

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Green certifications—such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in the US and Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) in the UK—verify that a building meets a certain set of criteria, including energy efficiency, the use of sustainable materials, proper site location and indoor environmental quality. As a result, a green certification can be used to distinguish a property in competitive real estate markets—and sometimes command higher rents and sell prices.

Due partially to these positive incentives, the “Green Building Certification Programs” report, published by Pike Research, forecasts that buildings with green building certifications will cover 53 billion square feet by 2020.

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The workers get it.

According to the “Smarter Buildings Survey: Consumers Rank Their Office Buildings” report, from IBM, while only 33% of US office workers rated their current office buildings “high” in environmental responsibility, 65% of them want to help transform their offices into greener environments.

Workers are willing to make changes in order to work in greener environments.

Of course, 75% said they would be “more likely” to conserve if they were rewarded for their efforts.

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“As energy prices continue to rise and resources dwindle, interest in these technologies will spark a “green buildings” market that will grow from $144 billion today to $277 billion in 2020—a 6.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR),” from the ““Diamonds in the Rough: Uncovering Opportunities in the $277 Billion Green Buildings Market” report, Lux Research.

The idea of eco-friendly living is catching on.

A national survey, commissioned by Rent.com and conducted by Redshift Research, found 86% of Americans would prefer to live in a green home, particularly renters.

The survey found 42% of renters were willing to pay up to $100 extra to live in a green apartment, and 13% would pay even more. In fact, by a ratio of nearly three to one over non-renters, apartment renters said living in an environmentally friendly space was an absolute necessity.

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To assess the market for green buildings in the central business districts of cities across the country, BetterBricks and Cushman & Wakefield examined office market conditions, investment outlook, green adoption and implementation, local mandates and incentives, state energy initiatives and green culture to create the “Green Building Opportunity Index.”

San Francisco ranked first in green building opportunities, followed by Oakland. In fact, including Los Angeles and San Diego, California cities earned four out of the top ten spots.

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According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are over 9,000 Energy Star buildings in the US, and the city with the most of them is Los Angeles, followed by the nation’s capital, Washington DC.

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For more information on home building trends see Insulating Homes Against Rising Energy Costs.