McDonald Construction Partners
Locally owned since 1978, McDonald Construction Partners has been one of Minnesota’s most respected and trusted names in the home building industry.
![](https://www.hersindex.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/MCP-Logo-Seal_Charcoal-Walnut@8x.png)
McDonald Construction Partners
https://mcdonaldconstruction.com/In this month’s feature, we asked McDonald Construction Partners Executive Vice President Carole Griffith to share some insight on building HERS® homes for their customers.
Q: What is special about a HERS Rated home?
A: Carole: We feel a HERS rating is important because it validates a home’s energy efficiency and provides home builders and homeowners with reliable information on a home’s energy efficiency performance. A low HERS rating can translate to lower utility bills. It also provides a homeowner proof the builder hired a 3rd party to inspect the home, verified the sustainable features and practices were installed, and helps us become better at what we do as a result.
Q: Why should consumers ask for the HERS® Index Score on homes they are shopping for?
A: Carole: They are proven to be more energy efficient than homes that have not been tested. It also shows the builder cares about quality. Building a HERS-rated home requires extra steps for the builder but in the end creates a better product.
Q: Why does McDonald Construction Partners choose to have their homes HERS® Rated?
A: Carole: It aligns with our company values of doing “the right thing”. We feel building an energy-efficient home is “the right thing to do” for our customers and our community. A home with a good HERS rating uses less greenhouse gases and consumes less energy and ideally will be less expensive to operate for our customers for many years.
Q: Why consumers should expect energy-efficient homes?
A: Carole: A new home is the single largest investment our customers will make in their lifetime. If we can create a home that is more efficient and less expensive to operate this will provide lasting value.
Q: How many homes does McDonald Construction Partners build with HERS® per year?
A: Carole: We are a growing organization and will have approximately twenty-five homes in production this year. We have plans to continually grow with 100% of our homes HERS-rated.
Q: How do you market HERS® Rated homes?
A: Carole: We are a Designated MN Green Path Builder and continually active in the Parade of Homes Energy Efficient Home Tour which requires all homes to be energy tested with a HERS rating. We support MN Green Path and Energy Star new homes and proudly promote these programs on our website, and marketing materials. We also include additional energy-efficient features that competing builders in our market do not offer as a standard feature and train our team members who work directly with our clients so they help to explain the value of energy efficiency.
We recently completed Ever Green Cottage, a custom home for a private owner who was enthusiastic about building a Net Zero home. The home tested at a -6! This was exciting for them and us and a story we have shared on our website. The video outlines the various products and practices required by our team and trades to build a home at this level.
Q: How do your customers feel about HERS® Rated homes?
A: Carole: In the planning stage, our customers have an appreciation for a HERS-rated new home, but they appreciate it most, once they move into their home and share the stories of how the energy-efficient features resulted in reduced operating costs.
Q: Which rating company(s) do you partner with and what would you like to share your partnership?
A: Carole: We work with two rating companies, Arcxis, and The Energy Network Worldwide. It’s not uncommon for us to call them for advice on products and practices. We are fortunate to have a long-standing relationship with both teams and are grateful for the relationships we have built over the years.
![](https://www.hersindex.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/37-print-IR_9-web-or-mls-380A4840.jpg)
![](https://www.hersindex.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/16725-42nd-Pl-N_017-scaled.jpg)
![](https://www.hersindex.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/16725-42nd-Pl-N_038-scaled.jpg)
![](https://www.hersindex.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/16725-42nd-Pl-N_027-scaled.jpg)
![](https://www.hersindex.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/McDonald-Construction_Polaris-Ln-N_008.jpg)
![](https://www.hersindex.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1-print-0-web-or-mls-380A1274-1.jpg)