The Science of Energy Code Compliance

In modern construction, energy-efficient design isn’t optional, it’s essential. Not only do homeowners demand it, local governments are increasingly adopting more stringent energy codes to help them meet their environmental and economic goals.

But for most builders and developers, especially those who build in multiple jurisdictions, adhering to the patchwork energy regulatory requirements can be both expensive and time-consuming.

That’s why Quality Built invested in our own team of Energy Code Experts, to help our clients efficiently navigate local regulations while simultaneously building greater value into their homes. Not only do we help ensure you meet or exceed code compliance, we help leverage efforts to identify possible incentive and certification programs with little, if any, additional investment.

There are four key components to successful energy code compliance:

Energy & Sustainability Strategy

To plan your journey, you must know your destination.

In this step of the process, Quality Built helps our clients develop a clear goal for their Energy & Sustainability Program.

Are you focusing on strengthening marketability or simply complying with necessary codes? Is the goal to simply reduce utility bills or to build the “greenest” structure possible? Where does your risk management strategy dovetail with your code compliance strategy?

The answers to these and other questions will guide an overarching strategy that connects the dots between your goals and your approach to energy code compliance.

Knowledge of Local Codes

Codes vary greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Some require HERS Scores, others don’t. Some require confirmed ratings, others don’t. And some vary their requirements based on the size or type of structure. If you build in multiple jurisdictions, simply tracking changes in the code could be a full-time job.

Quality Built’s team of boots-on-the-ground experts can take care of all of this, freeing market managers to focus on client satisfaction, workflow, and other key drivers of profitability.

Navigating Jurisdictional Procedures

Just as many jurisdictions have a range of codes, they also have a range of required procedures, processes, and paperwork.

Knowing when to file what with whom is often an administratively arduous and frustrating process. Quality Built can streamline all of it, giving you a single point of contact for the entire energy code compliance process.

Skillful Measurement, Analysis & Proof

Only Quality Built has a nationwide network of energy compliance experts and HERS raters to conduct in-depth, on-site analysis anywhere you need it.

For example, Quality Built uses tools like advanced energy modeling to determine whether you’ve reached your target HERS score. If not, we recommend paths to compliance that get you to get you where you need to be for permitting.

Whether the jurisdiction requires a HERS Score, Energy Rating Index (ERI), REScheck™, or any number of other code compliance demonstration methods, Quality Built has you covered.

Compliance With Confidence

The nation’s top builders know energy code compliance is about much more than following a simple checklist. By taking a strategic, proactive approach to energy code compliance, they are turning what was traditionally viewed as a cost center into a profit center — another way to differentiate and elevate their level of quality compared to the competition.

Quality Built helps by acting as an advocate for the builder at every step. We manage all of the research, analysis, and paperwork. No need to add to your headcount or fixed overhead costs. Quality Built gives you more than an inspection; we give you a blueprint for success.