RESTalk

 "We're all working together; that's the secret." -Sam Walton      COVID-19 continues to impact nearly every area of life these days.   What is RESNET is doing to manage the situation?   In summary it involves three things:   Staying patient. Being open to ideas. Maintaining the dialog.     Today we are joined by RESNET leadership: Cardice Gray-Howard, deputy director and Steve Baden, Executive Di...

"To be a carpenter or a builder or a home inspector, you have to have that kind of visual brain where you can sort of imagine something being taken apart." -Nick Petrie      Even before the impact of the pandemic, the housing market was in a challenging time.   The home building industry is certainly complicated in the physical world with all the components, materials and contractors that need to...

"You do the best you can with what's thrown at you, then you try again."   -Mario Andretti     What does the Highway Bill, or HR 2 have to do with builders and raters?   What has happened to the "builders tax credit" over the course of the last few months and what is store as we head towards and through the upcoming presidential election?     Better known as 45L, Section 45L(c)(1)(A) and (B) of th...

"You change your business plan to anticipate and adapt to changes in the marketplace."   -Jon Feltheimer It seems like everyone is talking about change lately spurred in a large part by the global pandemic.   Rolling with the changes, staying on mission, continuing to work towards your vision are no mean feats.   How is the team at RESNET adapting the annual conference to deliver the high-quality...

"Difficulties mastered are opportunities won." -Winston Churchill Disruptive trends exist in every segment of commerce. Residential construction is no exception.    Between changing customer needs and demands, new materials, changing codes, changes in the workforce, and an increased demand for sustainability, all the pieces of the machine are in motion.   Stepping back from the complexity and seei...

 "Make no mistake about it: Change is hard, but change is necessary." -Lori Lightfoot As organizations grow, systems, policies and procedures develop. Grasping the complexities of an organization can become daunting. Especially if you are new or "at the edges of contact" with the organization. It may be easy to feel disconnected.   Organizations like RESNET offer the ability to be part of the conv...

"How come it's given you the code? Someone up there likes me."   -Cathica and The Doctor from Doctor Who (S01E07) What does the future world of residential construction look like? What do opportunities lie for HERS raters in a code world?   Yes, podcast listener someone likes you and will share the code.     Chris McTaggart (The BER) and Ryan Meres (RESNET) join us on the podcast to detail out the...

"Go out and collect data and, instead of having the answer, just look at the data and see if the data tells you anything." -Steven Levitt With over 20% of all new homes being built in the US receiving a HERS rating, this repository of data can allow important trends in residential construction can be discerned.   What does this data speak to in terms of the types of homes and types of buyers?    ...

 "Difficult times disrupt your conventional ways of thinking and push you to forge better habits of thought, performance and being." -Robin S. Sharma In this time when the novel Coronavirus has impacted so many aspects of our daily lives in both personal and business aspects we often hear of the "new normal".   In the case of home energy ratings, where the object of the work is a home in the field...

 "If you can't measure it, you can't improve it." -Peter Drucker Over the last decade, what Americans pay for water and sewer service has increased three times faster than inflation or the price of food.    How can builders and homeowners get a handle the amount of water being used without some kind of practical and usable metric for both new and existing homes?       Join us as we plunge into the...

Human beings are very good at adapting to what happens -John Hurt Building science is building science. Science doesn't care. It just is. Applications for a HERS Rater's knowledge of building science are out there. Sometimes where you'd least expect them. Recorded in April 2020, today's topic is tuned in to the current pandemic, perhaps, in an unexpected way.   Join us as we speak with Matthew Coo...

Changes and progress are very rarely gifts from above. They come out of struggles from below. -Noam Chomsky The code development process is complex and time consuming. Yet the results drive much of the work done by raters. Insights into this process from a knowledgeable guide are immensely valuable. Join us as we speak with Ryan Meres, Program Director at RESNET, about the changes coming in the 20...

Follow effective action with quiet reflection.  From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action. -Peter Drucker As RESNET looks towards the future, significant effort is being placed in recruiting and retaining members of the broader RESNET community. There is no better way to do this than invite people to "the table". The RESNET Board has done this in a big way by creating the Emer...

The big picture doesn't just come from distance; it also comes from time. -Simon Sinek RESNET recognizes the COVID-19 pandemic will have a huge impact on HERS® Raters and Rating Providers. The RESNET Board Executive Committee has swiftly stepped in to make important decisions. RESNET is ever more diligent about how business is being done and working together with members of the HERS Industry to na...

It's very hard to complain about society if you don't get involved. -George Prescott Bush Getting involved. Putting yourself out there, so to speak. Leaving your comfort zone. It doesn't have to be scary. It can be quite thrilling and satisfying, especially if your new ideas are encouraged, listened to and acted upon. In 2016, the RESNET Board created the Emerging Leadership Council (ELC) to help...

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. -Franklin Delano Roosevelt Most of us enjoy tackling challenges, especially creative people like architects.  Now combine a creative design challenge along with surpassing a HERS 30 score and other stringent criteria and things get interesting. And then beat the target score with a Net Zero achievement and have the winning...

The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves. -Ray Kroc There's usually only one chance in the life of a home to get the insulation right. To get it right, insulation installers need training, experience and standards to adhere to. What does it take to be the top in this field? David Beam believes it comes from a company's leadership.   David Beam, President & CEO...

To succeed today, you have to set priorities, decide what you stand for. -Lee Iacocca To move ahead, people, organizations, communities all need priorities to focus their attention and direct their energies.   RESNET has sharpened its focus on three topics for 2020.     In this Episode, Steve Baden shares with us the ambitious priorities that will lead towards the goals RESNET has set for 2020.  ...

To study consumer behavior is to explore human nature at its most fundamental level using the modern world as a backdrop. -Gad Saad What is on the mind of the housing consumer? How important is a rated home? What kind of consumers are attracted to buy rated homes?   Listen in as Steve Baden shares details and insights into a new housing study conducted by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation...

Collaboration is a key part of the success of any organization, executed through a clearly defined vision and mission based on transparency and constant communication. -Dinesh Paliwal Putting together a conference is no mean feat. I know. I have tried. Putting together a conference at the level of RESNET conferences, is an awesome challenge that is handled so well by the RESNET staff.   The annual...

Of course, I have a plan. But it's a (not) secret. - Modified from John "Hannibal" Smith from the A-Team TV Series Open communication. Creative solutions. Engaged dialog.   These are just a few of the qualities embodied by RESNET's QA team of Laurel Elam, Scott Doyle and Billy Giblin.    Or the A-Team as they are called by colleagues.   In this podcast, we get an interactive overview of the QA tea...

When you have a system, you kind of get in a routine of what's important. And then you spend a lot more time on thinking of things that would make it better. -Nick Saban Structured thinking. Systems thinking.    Our guest today (and his company) embody systems thinking at a very high level.    Panelization in construction is a very structured, systematic topic. If you are not familiar with paneliz...

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. -Soren Kierkegaard If anyone could write a book for understanding life in the housing market, it's Jeff Bentley. His understanding comes from many years of living the experience forwards, in a variety of roles.   Carpenter, builder, rater and realtor, this self-identified kid in the classroom that always asked why, Jeff Bentley...

The success of a production depends on the attention paid to detail. -David O. Selznick Building any new home requires tremendous attention to detail.   And if you are looking for high performance features, the details skyrocket.   The details of what a customer wants, what materials and designs are available and proven are super critical for proper integration into a sometimes unique, yet always...

ICC and RESNET Collaborate to Increase Energy Code Compliance and Home Energy Efficiency   When you need to innovate, you need collaboration. - Marissa Mayer   Mark Johnson, Executive VP and Director of Business Development for the International Code Council (ICC) joins RESNET Executive Director Steve Baden to review their joint goals and activities associated with increasing energy code complianc...