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.
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.
