ZERH builders have proven that delivering high-performance, healthy, and affordable homes is good for business. These homes don’t need to cost a fortune and they don’t need to be custom designed.
May 24, 2023
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Since 2013, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) Program has played a lead role in pushing the US new home construction market towards more efficient, more comfortable, and more durable homes. For the past 10 years, the program has acted as a proving ground for innovative technologies and building materials, demonstrating successful techniques in a way that prepares the market for when this level of building could be standard practice for all homes.
All the while, the program has been growing steadily, with more builders delivering more homes to a great number of Americans. There are now over 12,000 certified ZERH homes across the country with nearly 3,000 being completed in 2022, continuing a growth trend that has been consistent over the past 5+ years. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has put more eyes on the program than ever before, with a $5,000 tax credit available for homes that achieve the ZERH certification.
ZERH builders have proven that delivering high-performance, healthy, and affordable homes is good for business. These homes don’t need to cost a fortune and they don’t need to be custom designed. ZERH homes are being built on a production level, sold at competitive market prices and are good for business! Entire developments are filling up with ZERH certified homes and more large-scale builders are learning how they can leverage the program to turn high-performance building into a high-performing business. National builders such as K. Hovnanian and Beazer Homes have started building Zero Energy Ready Homes and are poised to begin making ZERH a standard product offering.
Check out these production homes from those who have been leading the program to new heights and delivering a better option to American homebuyers across the country.
Insight Homes - Bridgeville, DE
As a leader in healthy, energy-efficient homes in the Mid-Atlantic, Insight Homes doesn’t sugarcoat their message to customers with the tagline, “It’s just a better house!” Committed to educating their customers, Insight focuses most of their sales and marketing efforts on explaining the building science and performance features that go into their homes, and why customers should be demanding high-performance from their builders.
Their business model is centered around home performance, efficiency, and a healthy indoor environment. Standardizing the high-performance features in all their homes allows them to make purchasing decisions on large volume orders instead of individual home selections. Every floor plan and home design they offer includes the same state-of-the-art technologies and building systems. They credit their relationships with manufacturers and suppliers as a major contributor to building cost effectively. The builder says, “Negotiations with vendors for performance components becomes more effective when we guarantee the inclusion of their high-end products and systems in all of our homes.”
For Insight, the key is consistency and replicability. It’s a model that has allowed them to certify over 800 homes since joining the program in 2018 and has earned them the Most Homes in a Year Award for three years running! Tour their 2022 award-winning home, The Peterman II, here.
Thrive Home Builders - Denver, CO
Thrive Home Builders has long been a leader in healthy and sustainable homes in the Denver area. Their focus on building better, healthier, and more efficient homes has positioned themselves as a preferred builder for Denver landowners and municipalities with sustainability goals which has been critical to their success in a hot housing market. Having the credibility of DOE ZERH certification on every home has helped them secure lots and attractive land position in Denver’s most desirable communities. Thrive has certified over 1,200 ZERH homes while also earning the Most Homes in a Year Award at the 2018 Housing Innovation Awards.
Thrive says a major element to their success is their focus on trade partner relationships. The builder notes, “Building state-of-the-art homes successfully and profitably requires an enormous amount of coordination with our trades. As leaders in innovation, we must have trade partners that believe in and are willing to join us on our journey.”
Their 2022 award-winning home is part of their Panacea Collection, a zero energy, zero carbon, all-electric design. One of several design offerings from Thrive, the Panacea Collection combines award-winning architecture with high-performing health and energy features. Homes within this collection feature a HERS Score of 15 or lower. Tour the home here.
Mandalay Homes - Prescott, AZ
Mandalay Homes prides themselves on being a leader in energy efficiency and indoor air quality, even while operating in a production housing environment. With a focus on building energy-efficient homes that are comfortable, stylish, and sustainable, Mandalay Homes builds high-quality homes that meet the needs of families and individuals in communities throughout the state. From innovative building technologies and materials to the incorporation of energy-efficient features, Mandalay is committed to building homes that are not only comfortable to live in but also better for the environment.
An important aspect of their business model is to create a quality customer experience, both online and in their sales office and model homes, that showcases the high-performance features and certifications that differentiate them from the competition. “Our DOE Zero Energy Ready homes sold for $15,000 to $20,000 more with less square footage on smaller lots against the competition’s code-built offering. These sales numbers align with customer feedback in the sales office, confirming that customers are seeing value in the features of the DOE Zero Energy Ready homes,” says company president Dave Everson.
A 4-time winner of the Most Homes in a Year Award, Mandalay has certified over 1,400 ZERH homes. In 2021, they were honored at the Housing Innovation Awards for their work in Grid-Interactive Efficient Building Innovation. Their 2022 award-winning home, the Discovery Home, is an all-electric design with both solar and battery storage. Tour the home here!
Housing Innovation Award Applications are Now Open!
The 2023 Housing Innovation Award season is upon us! This year’s award ceremony will be held at the EEBA High-Performance Home Builder Summit, October 10th-12th in Salt Lake City, UT. Applications are now open through the online portal and must be completed by 5PM EST on June 15th. For more information on this year’s awards and to access the HIA Application Portal, visit the 2023 Housing Innovation Award page!
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