Upcoming Options for FREE High Performance Home Sales Training

How to Sell Energy Efficient Homes Effectively

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about high performance homes. Not all homes are built alike. Find out the important things you need to know to sell energy efficient homes effectively! Learn that “Cost per Square Foot” to own is more important than “Price per Square Foot” to buy!

In this fast-paced class you will learn to:

Educate customers on the value of high-performance homes and energy savings
Demonstrate the comfort, healthy indoor environment, and durability of the home
Build your value by being THE resource of information for buyers
Leverage consumer trends and data
Promote the value of HERS rating and third-party verifications
Utilize national and local programs and savings that benefit consumers
Develop strategies for branding and differentiation
Improve customer satisfaction and communication
Leverage referrals and testimonials throughout the construction process
Strengthen the relationship between builders and homebuyers

Contact Todd Gamboa with Building Trust LLC to schedule a session with your sales team.

(303)903-2518
todd@buildingtrustllc.org

Todd Gamboa, President of Building Trust, LLC, is considered a champion in the field of energy efficient home building. He has been in the building industry for more than 26 years, managing private and public homebuilding companies, consulting and training professionals in the business. He has been responsible for the construction of thousands of homes in Colorado and was building “Green” homes when others were only talking about it. The Colorado Energy Office and Xcel Energy have contracted with Todd because he has the experience to connect with the home building sales force and to show them how to connect with the Buyer.

ENERGY STAR® Sales Training

EnergyLogic brings you an ENERGY STAR Sales Training developed by the EPA specifically for you. This training will help sales agents describe the features and benefits of ENERGY STAR certified homes in a way that aligns with the customers’ own values. The training consists of approximately two hour-long modules that can be completed all at once or in two sessions. We will develop background knowledge in the program, explore customer profiles, strategies in small groups, and practice through quick role playing exercise, all in order to gain comfort with how to speak to your buyers about the benefits of Energy Star homes. Although the focus of the training is on selling ENERGY STAR certified homes, the core concepts, you will see, can and should be applied to the sale of any home.

For more information, please contact:
Robby Schwarz
Principal, Director of Builder Relations

Email Robby
720-838-0677

Drinks & Discussion: 2015 IRC and IECC Codes

Date: June 15, 2016
Start Time: 3:00 PM

Colorado Code Consultants and EnergyLogic bring to you a discussion of the 2015 IRC and IECC.

As more and more local jurisdictions adopted this suite of codes we want to be sure you are prepared and understand what to expect.

3:00 – 4:00 PM
2015 IECC discussion, Speaker: Robby Schwarz of EnergyLogic

4:00 – 5:00 PM
2015 IRC discussion, Speaker: Steve Thomas of Colorado Code Consulting

5:00 – 7:00 PM
Happy Hour mixer

Please RSVP here

This event is generously supported by Tyvek.

May 25, 2016May 26, 2016

Energy Rating Index Scores are Set to Go Up

In July of 2015, EnergyLogic began informing you about the upcoming software changes that are set to go into effect in July of this year. As a reminder, the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET®) began to align the energy rating reference home to the 2006 IECC almost two years ago. The reference home, which currently reflects the 2004 IECC supplemental code, is the home that your home is compared to in order to create the HERS® Index score. RESNET has gone through a process of taking the rule set for how to develop the HERS Index score through the ANSI process in order to create the ANSI/RESNET/ICC 301-2014 Standard for the Calculation and Labeling of the Energy Performance of Low-Rise Residential Buildings using an Energy Rating Index. The main impetus for this ANSI Standard arose from the desire to use the Index score for code compliance and the adoption of the Energy Rating Index (ERI), a HERS path, as a compliance matrix for the 2015 IECC.

The alignment with the 2006 IECC has three primary effects on the HERS reference home. First, the updated 2006 IECC reference home infiltration rate got tighter to better reflect the improved tightness levels of newly constructed homes. Second, the updated 2006 IECC reference home window solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) went from 0.55 in climate zones 4 through 8 to a SHGC of 0.40 in those climate zones. This updated value reflects the market penetration of improvements in basic window technology and is in alignment with the 2006 IECC. Lastly, revised mechanical ventilation requirements are used in the HERS reference home which are now aligned with the ASHRAE 62.2-2013 ventilation standard.

Philip Fairey, Deputy Director of the Florida Solar Energy Center and a consultant for RESNET, performed research on the impact of these changes in the reference home on the HERS Index values of rated homes in all eight climate zones. His research has demonstrated that the HERS Index values will increase across all climate zones by a range of 2 to 6 points due to the reference home alignment with the 2006 IECC that occurred through the creation of the ANSI/RESNET 301-2014 Standard. EnergyLogic has been working with the newly released software, and as of now, we are seeing similar results when comparing homes that were rated with software developed prior to the ANSI standard adoption. RESNET is mandating that HERS providers begin using the new software on July 1, 2016. EnergyLogic is working with RESNET to find ways to reduce the impact of the implementation of the ANSI standard.

The development of the ANSI standard has also given RESNET the opportunity to include additional features related to water heating energy use. Specifically, this is an effort to include the energy use that is part of hot water distribution and is not about water conservation. RESNET is working on a Water Index score that will address water conservation. The ANSI standard addendum allows the HERS Index score to quantify the efficiency or loss of energy through pipe runs from the water heater to the farthest fixture, through hot water pipes that are insulated, on demand recirculation systems, high efficiency-low flow fixtures, and drain water heat recovery systems. If all of these systems are deployed in a home, the technologies can provide approximately a 3-point reduction in the HERS Index for builders.

These changes will affect every home that is rated, but should have minimal impact on the use of the Index score for demonstrating compliance with programs such as ENERGY STAR® as the program’s energy Index target will fluctuate in unison with the home that is being rated. In the same way, these changes should have minimal effect on code compliance when utilizing the Simulated Performance path, because the code reference home is separate from the HERS reference home. For those few builders utilizing the 2015 IECC Energy Rating index path, these changes will be significant. Lastly, all rated homes will be affected and therefore all builders utilizing the index score in their marketing efforts will need to update HERS related marketing collateral.

May 25, 2016May 26, 2016

Four Undervalued Benefits of a Clean Jobsite

It would be an understatement to say the housing market all across Colorado’s Front Range came out of the gate strong. EnergyLogic’s first quarter of 2016 has been our busiest ever, and I have been in the field more these last few months than I have in the last five years combined. As Field Services Division Director, it seems my career has come full circle. Turns out that running a blower door is a bit like riding a bike- your top speed might slip a bit as you get older, but you never really forget how to do it. But my perspective sure has changed- now I see everything through a manager lens. I notice things about the entire operation, the sequencing, and how superintendents spend their time differently than in the past.

The other day I was struck by the contrast in jobsite cleanliness between two separate communities I visited on the same day. My mind automatically went to cost-benefit analysis. What is it costing the builder with the clean jobsite to keep it that way? How are they accomplishing this when construction is inherently such a messy business? Are they hiring day labor to clean up, or just giving their superintendents time to walk their homes and enforce the expectation that each trade cleans up after itself? Either way, there is a cost. What benefits are they getting for that added cost? Based on my own experience, and a bit of research, I’ve come up with my own short list.

Without further ado, here is my own Top Four Benefits of a Clean Jobsite:

1. Safety – “A clean jobsite is a safe jobsite” – you’ll hear this quote in many OSHA trainings, and the truth of it is pretty obvious. Clutter and debris create tripping hazards and may hide other dangers such as electrical or fall hazards. Keeping things cleaned up makes the site safer for everyone- from the workers to the occupants of finished homes nearby. The other day I moved a four foot sheet of scrap osb which was lying nails-up on the sidewalk – this on a street where half the homes were occupied!

2. Efficiency – This is half the reason I was inspired to write on this topic. There was a noticeable difference in my time on-site for what (on paper) looked like two identical inspections. The clean site was quicker to inspect and my duct test even went a little more smoothly since there was no debris hiding any of the supply or return registers. It certainly helped that the work I was there to inspect was ready and correct. But that’s a topic for another article…

3. Attitude – This one is a little harder to measure, but I can say that my own attitude was better on the clean job site. And my experience tells me that messy job sites also tend to be the ones where I find sloppy work that fails our inspections. Whether the messy jobsite is a contributing cause or just another symptom of a larger problem is unclear. But there is certainly a corollary. It’s easy to see where a tradesman showing up to an already messy jobsite would get the signal that cleanup is optional and sloppy work is tolerated.

4. Be the Employer of Choice- Most builders have heard this buzz phrase lately. It certainly becomes an important issue when consumer demand is up and skilled labor is tight. In doing a little research for this article, I was somewhat surprised to find that building consultants (through many interviews with tradesman across the U.S.) have found that being paid top dollar is not at the top of the list of things that made them prefer one builder over another. Conditions that allowed them to get in, complete their work, and get on to the next job efficiently ranked at the top. Of course, having the necessary materials delivered on-time and being able to count on things being ready on their scheduled day are the largest part of this (ie: no dry runs). But as stated above, a clean site also improves workers’ efficiency. Let’s face it, when you don’t have to work around somebody else’s mess, you can get your own job done more efficiently. For most tradesmen, getting on to the next job more quickly is the best way to increase your take.

May 25, 2016January 27, 2017

EnergyLogic Goes 10 for 10!

Not only are we celebrating our tenth anniversary, we also recently received our tenth award from the EPA ENERGY STAR® program! We’re proud of our Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence award – especially since it comes from the most widely recognized energy label. In conjunction with our Builder partners, we labeled more than 2,200 homes in 2015, bringing our cumulative count to over 20,000 homes.

ENERGY STAR’s Evolution
ENERGY STAR is a program that lays the foundation for homebuilders to create homes that are not only efficient but also durable, safe, and comfortable. This, in conjunction with the strength of the ENERGY STAR brand among consumers, has led ENERGY STAR to become the foundation of many energy codes and sustainability programs. As it has grown, its version and revision process has worked towards flexibility, ensuring that the home certification process is attainable and forward thinking.

How We Partner with Builders
EnergyLogic’s role in labeling a home as compliant with the ENERGY STAR program is one of education and verification. Here’s an overview of our process:

Plans Analysis – ensuring that the quantifiable energy use of the home as measured by the HERS® Index score meets the program target requirement
Field Verification & Quality Assurance Inspections – ensuring that all the mandatory components encompassed in the ENERGY STAR checklists have been incorporated in the home

Through the whole process, we are available as a training resource to builders and trade partners, specializing in construction techniques and ENERGY STAR specifications. We will work with you to ensure not only compliance, but also performance.

Ready to Partner?
Over 85% of Americans recognize the ENERGY STAR label. The incremental jump to ENERGY STAR from the IECC is small, thanks to revisions focused on allowing builders to focus on execution rather than on time-consuming verification hurdles. EnergyLogic is ready to help any builder with ENERGY STAR, whether just getting started or already experienced with the program. We look forward to many more years of partnership with the ENERGY STAR program!

Who to Contact:
Robby Schwarz
Principal, Director of Builder Relations

Email Robby
720-838-0677

A Little ENERGY STAR History:

2006 – Energy code adoption of portions of the ENERGY STAR Thermal Bypass Checklist. This checklist laid out a process of ensuring efficient, durable and well performing homes.
2012 – The checklist grew into a mandatory energy code requirement in table R404.2.1.1 which further defined air barrier and insulation installation requirements.
Current – ENERGY STAR is on its 8th revision of version 3, continuing its pursuit of a program that is both workable and incrementally improves building practices.
The program primarily pushes builders to ensure that their HVAC systems are better integrated with the home’s thermal envelope.