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HBA HOME BUILDING NEWS
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BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS
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AUGUST, 2013
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HBApdx.org
HBA
PDX
.
ORG
Sustain
Ability
GREEN & SUSTAINABLE BUILDING, DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION •
AUGUST, 2013
Builders who reach for the pin-
nacle of home efficiency can set
their sights on a new target. The
Live Net Zero designation applies
to high-efficiency homes that earn
a superior EPS™ and have the po-
tential to achieve net-zero or near-
zero energy use depending on
the behavior of those living in the
home. The lower the EPS, themore
efficient the home—if you reach
an exceptionally low score, your
home could qualify as Live Net Ze-
ro. Earning this title is a great way
to showcase the unrivaled quality
of your work and separate yourself
from the competition.
Along with superior energy per-
formance, Live Net Zero homes of-
fer outstanding comfort, air qual-
ity and durability. Today’s smart
homebuyers are increasingly
aware of these benefits and factor
them into their search. To earn the
Live Net Zero designation, a home
must be built well above code
and meet all requirements to earn
a low EPS. While there are many
factors that go into achieving Live
Net Zero status, key features con-
sistent in all homes within this cat-
egory include: tight construction,
high levels of insulation, extreme-
ly efficient heating and cooling,
and solar electricity.
While Live Net Zero homes pro-
vide the foundation for maximum
efficiency, it’s up to the people
living in the home to make the
most of their many energy-saving
features. With the right behavior,
these homes actually have the po-
tential to produce as much energy
as they consume over the course
of a year. That’s home efficiency at
its best.
Support from Energy Trust
If you’re already building homes
that match the Live Net Zero de-
scription, Energy Trust of Oregon
offers marketing and promotional
resources to support your efforts.
For those interested in takinghome
energy performance to the next
level, technical support and cash
incentives are available to help en-
sure your homes earn a superior
EPS and qualify as Live Net Zero.
For more information on Live
Net Zero homes and available
resources from Energy Trust,
please visit
www.energytrust.org/
eps
or call Energy Trust’s trade ally
coordinator at (877) 283-0698,
option 1.
2013 NW Natural Street of Dreams homes set bar for
employing home energy raters for outstanding EPS scores
This year’s NW Natural Street of Dreams is a great
example of how far the energy code has come over
the years. All of the homes in
this year’s Street have “Blown
in Blanket” insulation or Spray
Foam Insulation, replacing
inefficient batt insulation. All
have natural gas tankless hot
water heaters and a 95 percent
efficient condensing furnace.
Each home has the minimum
of a basic air sealing pack-
age –some have included up-
graded air sealing. Two homes
have made the jump to include
heat /recover y venti lators.
What especially stands out,
this year is the commitment of
each builder to engage a free
market energy rater for the first
time. This isn’t a “trade” that the residential construc-
tion industry even recognized five years ago.
A home energy rater is a trained professional who
will conduct a series of tests on your house, including
a blower door test and a duct test and a combustion
test to generate an Energy Performance Score (EPS).
The EPS is a desirable resource for consumers to use
in comparing future utility bills. The builder can then
use this score for marketing purposes. An EPS score
is only available from a certified home energy rater,
and that’s where the builders this year have hit a
home run. The home energy rater can significantly
help a builder build a better
product overall. Depending
on the certifications a rater
holds, they have completed
one to two weeks of rigor-
ous training and have passed
extensive on-site exams. Ad-
ditionally they are required
to maintain continuing edu-
cation credit ful f i l lment
throughout their tenure as a
rater. Although the home en-
ergy rater may be the smallest
sub that a builder hires, they
will get more than their mon-
ey’s worth if they engage the
rater’s knowledge base and
consider employing their rec-
ommendations. These home energy raters are well
versed in building science and are a great resource
for builders.
These raters are going to be a true catalyst to small
but significant changes in how healthy and efficient
our housing stock will be in the future, and are valu-
able resources to the builder community. The 2013
Street of Dreams builders are leading the industry
towards the value of hiring a home energy rater and
obtaining an EPS.
Build the foundation to Live Net Zero with a superior EPS
Join Solar City and the Home Performance Council in a Builder lead Tour through Elite
Development’s NW Natural Street of Dreams Home. This home used several products that
significantly increase, the health, safety, and durability of the home and the builders will
discuss costs and the reasoning behind their decisions. Appetizers and happy hour generously
sponsored by Solar City. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear about new and innovative
building products, networks with other builders and contractors in the industry and receive
a private tour of a gorgeous street of dreams home.
Tour a NW Natural Street of Dreams Home
with the HPC and SolarCity!
August 22, 4pm-6pm
SOD Entertainment Deck
HPC Members: FREE + price of admission to the Street of Dreams
HBA Members: $5 + price of admission to the Street of Dreams
Non Members: $10 + price of admission to the Street of Dreams
Save The Date
Modern condensing furnaces like these as drastically improved energy efficiency to a home
and improve the homes EPS.
Spread The Word
For more info contact Helen at 503-684-1880 or
helenl@hbapdx.org.
The NAHB Association
Leadership Institute (ALI)
comes to Portland
Annual conference to be held August 14-17
The Association Leadership Institute brings staff and
member volunteers together for dynamic and timely
education on key association functions, uniting insight-
ful leadership development and peer to peer learning.
In addition to over twenty-four sessions on a variety of
association leadership, governance, advocacy, mem-
bership, communications and other topics, there are
several great keynote presentations.
The Association Leadership Institute is designed for
HBA executive officers, staff, member leaders and those
who would like to learn more about leadership. Over
300 staff and leaders from around the country are ex-
pected. Our HBA will be sending several staff as well as
a few of our HBA Officers and member leaders.
More information can be found at
www.nahb.org/
ali
, including a list of all the sessions offered, special
events, and the keynote speaker presentations. If you
would like more information, contact Helen at our HBA
(helenl@hbapdx.org).
We can get you a substantially dis-
counted rate to attend, or even get you a free pass to at-
tend a session if you just want to check something out.
To RSVP contact Shaina at 503-684-1880 or shainas@hbapdx.org.
The home energy raters and
HBA members who have worked
on this year’s Street of Dreams
homes include:
Westside Drywall & Insulation
(503) 620-7039
www.westsidedrywall.com
Performance Insulation
(503) 598-8001
www.performanceinsulation.com