We couldn’t help noticing Gwendolyn Bounds’ article, In the New Dream Home, Majestic Boilers and Designer Pipes. It’s one of the first articles I’ve seen that makes energy-efficiency equipment look like a luxury good.

The tone of the article is lighthearted, if a little skeptical. Ms. Bounds seems to think the rise of costly energy-efficient equipment as a “showpiece” is a bit odd, and she points out the many design choices that manufacturers make so that their equipment has more “showpiece” appeal:

Last month, Peter and Sara Starr gave dinner guests a tour of their new Bayside, Calif., home. There’s the designer kitchen fitted with free-standing ergonomic furniture. And the valley views complete with majestic redwoods. But the pièce de résistance sits just off the living room—a 100-square-foot nook otherwise known as the boiler room.

Inside hums the heart of about $70,000 in state-of-the-art heating and electrical equipment. A sleek hot-water tank is fed by rooftop solar panels; so is an array of batteries storing electricity and feeding excess power back to the grid. Hanging nearby, a petite, black boiler provides radiant heat while hundreds of feet of copper piping snake outward, delivering warmth and water to the 1,800-square-foot house.

“It looks like the Star Trek Enterprise,” 61-year-old Peter Starr says. “It’s really a little focal point, and a sign of pride.”

…

Of course, as with any trend, there are downsides to jumping on the bandwagon. Appliance styles can fall out of fashion, and updates cost money.

The assumption that’s guiding Bounds’ thoughts here is that energy efficiency is an “appliance style” instead of a genuine technological upgrade. This is an odd juxtaposition, indeed, as some of the most attractive energy-efficient investments — like beefing up on insulation or installing energy-efficient lighting — are often among the most mundane and most affordable.

In my opinion, any increased awareness of energy efficiency — whether it’s inspired by fashion, long term economic payback, or environmental awareness­ — is a good thing. And we’re happy it’s getting attention in the WSJ.