Boston, Nov. 19 — During the home building industry’s current slump, Austin, Texas, green home builder Clark Wilson has some words of wisdom for struggling pros: energy audits.

“Energy audits are big right now,” he explained during an educational session at the Greenbuild Conference and Expo. “After touring some of our green homes, people nowadays are coming out left and right to say, ‘This is great, maybe I’ll buy a green house next year, but what can you do to my current house right now to make it more efficient?’”

In response, Wilson’s company, GreenBuilders, is offering energy audits, assessments of a home’s envelope, insulation, mechanical equipment, lighting, and appliances. The firm then provides suggestions for changes and upgrades that can save money on utilities, a top priority for many American homeowners.

By expanding into this new line of related work, GreenBuilders is saving jobs, Wilson points out. “It is construction—and usually residential construction—that leads the nation into a recession and it’s construction that leads it out. I think remodeling will be at the forefront of that.”