Web site of the Month: DOE Builders Challenge

Ben Medina, Jr., (l.) planning and community development director of Brownsville Homeownership Corporation, is welcomed to the Builders Challenge by Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman. (Photo by U.S. DOE)

Utilities supply power and buildings consume it—70 percent of the U.S. electricity load, according to the U.S. Green Building Council—so power providers looking to control load growth may be interested in the U.S. Department of Energy Builders Challenge.

Increasing energy-efficient housing stock

Based on lessons from DOE's Building America research program, Builders Challenge calls on the construction industry to build 220,000 high-performance homes by 2012. To qualify as a high-performance home, a building must use at least 30 percent less energy than a typical new home built to meet criteria of the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code.

DOE launched the program at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 14. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman was joined onstage by 22 of the 38 builders who are the first to take the challenge. The program's ultimate goal is to provide 1.3 million high-performance homes across the nation by 2030, and give consumers the opportunity to buy an affordable net-zero energy home (NZEH). Such super-efficient homes would save Americans $1.7 billion in energy costs, and equate with taking 606,000 cars off the road annually.

At the program's core are five key elements:

1. Voluntary participation by American homebuilders

2. EnergySmart Home Scale (E-Scale) house-rating system

3. National outreach campaign to educate homebuyers about the benefits of high-performance homes

4. Design competition to increase the supply of high-performance home plans

5. Awards to recognize and reward Builders Challenge participants

Bringing builders, buyers, supporters together

Grid-connected houses that annually produce as much energy as they use have obvious advantages for builders and homeowners, but what do utilities stand to gain from the program? Such quality homes can help utilities reduce peak demand, meet renewable portfolio standards and defer the need for new powerplants.

For homebuyers, the Builders Challenge Web site offers several resources to help reduce home energy consumption. Those in the market for a new home will find the database of participating builders valuable. The database is searchable by state and contains pertinent contact information. Related links offers more information to anyone simply looking to learn more about high-performance homes.

Construction professionals will find tools to help them create a more competitive product in the builders section. Visitors can download DOE's Building America performance criteria and learn about requirements for joining the challenge. Registering with Builders Challenge will connect builders with homebuyers seeking energy-efficient homes, and provide access to marketing and technical resources, as well as high performance home plans.

Utilities that want to promote energy-efficient housing in their service territory can join Builders Challenge as a partner. Businesses, associations and educational institutes will play an important part in educating homebuyers and encouraging the housing industry to adopt higher energy-efficiency standards.

Measuring progress

The E-Scale, the measurement tool of Builders Challenge, gives homebuyers an easy way to understand home energy performance. The system is based on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index, developed by the Residential Energy Services Network.

A house must rank 70 or lower on the E-Scale to qualify as a high-performance home. A brightly colored sticker the builder places on the house's energy panel will tell buyers what to expect in terms of home energy consumption. The rating includes estimates of carbon dioxide reductions associated with the energy savings. The Builders Challenge is currently developing a carbon footprint metric to add to the label.

In its 2006 Energy Pulse survey, the Shelton Group found that 86 percent of Americans would consider energy-efficiency in their decision to purchase one home over another. Yet 78 percent of the homeowners polled reported that the topic of energy efficiency did not come up during the buying process. The E-Scale and Builders Challenge is a way for builders and partners like utilities to start the conversation we all need to have.

Resources

U.S. Green Building Council

Builders Challenge

Building America

Builders Challenge program launch

EnergySmart Home Scale

Builders Challenge for Homebuyers

Participating builders database

Related links

Builders Challenge for builders

Builders' registration

Builders Challenge for partners

Residential Energy Services Network

Energy Pulse

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