Posts From May, 2023

Unlocking the Power of High-Performance Homes: A Marketing Coordinator's Take on Building Science Education

Noyes Development
Unlocking the Power of High-Performance Homes: A Marketing Coordinator
Noyes Development, based in Oregon, is a high-performance home builder and EEBA Member Builder who is empowering their staff to learn about building science and advances in sustainably constructing better homes through the EEBA Academy. Founded in 1993 by Peter Noyes, they have secured a solid reputation over the past 30 years by building high-quality, classy, and innovative homes while setting the leading standard in home building. Alex Vidal, their Marketing Coordinator, is one of their staff dedicated to deepening his knowledge and has completed over 10 EEBA courses and designations - which he displays in his office. Tell us about your display! I initially had a blank wall in my office, but after hanging up my first certificate, followed by the second, and then the third, I felt compelled to continue. Not only does it serve as a personal achievement, but it also showcases the expertise of our team when visitors, whether current homeowners or prospective ones, stop by our... read more
 

Study reveals American consumers crave sustainable home design, yet consumer action is limited

Kantar Press Release
Study reveals American consumers crave sustainable home design, yet consumer action is limited
View original press release on Kantar's website America At Home Study and Kantar provide a deeper look into consumer perceptions on sustainability in their homes and how it impacts personal wellbeing. New York, NY (April 24, 2023) – Kantar, the world’s leading data-driven analytics and brand consulting company, and the America at Home Study released further data exploring the impact that consumers feel sustainability and home design have on their personal wellbeing. The America at Home Study surveyed more than 10,000 Americans across three waves during early, peak, and post-pandemic times to understand the design changes consumers want in their homes and communities. Key findings from the latest wave of this national consumer study reveal connections between sustainability and wellbeing for consumers, while also highlighting opportunities for brands to help meet consumer needs. More than 1/3 of respondents listed ‘climate change’ as one of the top 3 topics they are most... read more
 

Texas Homebuilder Moving Net Zero to the Mainstream

 Texas Homebuilder Moving Net Zero to the Mainstream
Story by Matt Chapuran, Sustainable Homes Inc. Darrel McMaster comes from a family of homebuilders. By his count, his family has produced eight general contractors since 1945. “All we do is build,” McMaster says. “I kind of followed in line.” Where McMaster has distinguished himself is in the pursuit of building net-zero homes at scale. His company, Sustainable Homes, Inc., boasts on its website, “Building Tomorrow’s Homes Today,” yet this strategy did not originate in a political or ecological ideology. McMaster’s father impressed upon him that the goal for anyone in construction should be to bring down the price of a home, constructing it faster and better. He began to wonder if the most economical home for a buyer wouldn’t be one that ran off the environment, generating its own utilities. Since moving from California — where McMaster’s observation was that the solar power movement was once limited to “some old hippies who lived in the mountains” — to Texas, McMaster has... read more
 

A Tour of California’s First Residential Microgrid Community With 219 Net-Zero-Energy Homes

Schneider Electric Blog
A Tour of California’s First Residential Microgrid Community With 219 Net-Zero-Energy Homes
View original blog on Schneider Electrics website In an unassuming town situated between Los Angeles and San Diego, you’ll find the future of the American neighborhood. I’m not talking about the Jetsons-style sci-fi; I’m talking about California’s first-of-its-kind residential microgrid community. This community is a real-life example of the new energy landscape — or what we at Schneider Electric™ describe as Electricity 4.0 — the convergence of digital intelligence with electricity. Shadow Mountain, in Menifee, California, consists of 219 smart homes. Each home is equipped with its own solar-plus-battery system, which is pretty cool already. But KB Home, a national homebuilder who led the project, took it a step further by deploying a microgrid system. This microgrid connected all 219 homes and their batteries with a shared centralized 2-megawatt (MW) community battery — a first. For each net-zero-ready home, this extra layer of backup power offers an unparalleled level of... read more