Justin Moresco's Climate Chronicles

Technological developments often are seen as the surest way to reduce society’s dependence on fossil fuels, but one young startup hopes to spur change with an innovative business model.

If successful, Metrus Energy's model could usher in a wave of investment in energy efficiency projects.

The idea is to enter into long-term contracts with commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities in which Metrus pays the upfront costs of installing energy efficiency measures, such as high-efficiency lighting or building energy management systems, and then shares the resulting savings from lower energy bills.

“We set the fee below what the customer is currently paying the electric utility,” said Bob Hinkle, chief executive of the San Francisco startup. “So the customer gets savings from the start.”

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While cork flooring and bamboo furniture get all the attention in green homes, eco-substitutes for old-school construction products like concrete, lumber and insulation are where the real action resides in the growing green building materials market.

Spurred by shifting attitudes among consumers, government mandates, and the higher prices green buildings fetch on the market, the building industry is embracing more environmentally friendly materials.

The global market for these products is now forecast to grow 25 percent over the next five years to $571 billion in sales, according to NextGen Research.

“Companies increasingly are looking at their products from cradle to cradle, from the material in the ground to when the building is remodeled or replaced,” said Larry Fisher, research director for NextGen Research.

While some of these green materials—engineered wood made from waste scraps, for example—aren’t new or hi-tech, others have emerged after years of research and development often backed by venture capital financing. And as is so often the case, nimble startups run by hungry entrepreneurs appear to be leading the way in bringing innovative products to market.

Solar, wind and other renewable sources tend to receive most of the attention in the emerging clean energy economy. But a raft of startups are developing technologies that tackle the other side of the equation: When, where and how energy is consumed.

In the process, they are helping businesses and homeowners reduce their electricity bills.

This trend is perhaps most prevalent in the building sector, and for good reason. Residential and commercial buildings account for about 40 percent of total U.S. energy consumption, with the majority of it used for heating, cooling and lighting.