Steve Baden, Executive Director of RESNET, and John Godden, President of the Canadian counterpart CRESNET, announced the 2016 Cross Border Builder Challenge.  “The 2015  Cross Border Home Builder Challenge has been such a huge success in promoting the utilization of the HERS Index and energy efficient home building in the U.S. and Canada that we decided to make the program an annual RESNET-CRESNET event”, noted Baden.

“Once again, the RESNET and CRESNET Cross Border Challenge will be a friendly competition between American and Canadian builders to determine just how energy efficient builders can build,” noted John Godden.

In 2016 there will be a total of seven builder awards; five are  based on having the lowest HERS score for their specific category, which will be sponsored by Power-Pipe®, and two will be special President’s awards based on a fleet of HERS new home ratings, and once again sponsored by Icynene.

The specific awards will be:

1. Lowest HERS score American Production Builder (>50 homes HERS rated per year)
2. Lowest HERS score American Custom Builder (< 50 homes HERS rated per year)
3. Lowest HERS score Canadian Better than Code Production Builder (< 50 homes HERS rated per year)
4. Lowest Canadian Better Than Code Custom Builder (< 50 homes HERS rated per year)
5. Net Zero Award Canada & US
6. The U.S. Production Builder with the highest percentage of homes HERS rated < 53
7. The Canadian Production Builder with the highest percentage of homes HERS rated < 53

Awards will be presented at the 2016 RESNET Building Performance Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“With well over 1.5 million homes rated in the U.S., the HERS Index is the industry standard by which a home’s energy efficiency is now being measured in the U.S. and Canada. It’s also the nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating a home’s energy performance” noted Steve Baden.

The Index is based on an assessment by a certified HERS Rater who evaluates the energy efficiency of a home and assigns it a relative performance score. The lower the score, the more energy efficient the home.  For more information go to the HERS Index

“As in 2015, we are expecting some of the largest, and most respected, U.S. and Canadian builders” to participate in the 2015 competition, continued John Godden.

For more information go to 2016 Cross Border Builder Challenge