Builder Group Prizes Green Design, Collaboration Over Competition

Founded by building professionals in 1982, the bedrock of The Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) has been building science and education. Now, a large part of EEBA’s mission is to engage the mainstream building industry, says Gene Myers, EEBA president and CEO and owner of Thrive Home Builders, in part by counteracting the misconception that high performance home building is new. Says Myers, “Before there was Energy Star, LEED, or other well-known certification programs, there was EEBA.” The organization welcomes builders at any level of high performance expertise.

While the concept is not new, two market forces are propelling the building industry toward high performance homes more than ever, explains Myers: continual updates to energy codes, and buyer desire. “The consumer has moved beyond the standard practice of our industry. EEBA builders believe strongly that the market wants what we build.”

An online learning platform, “Zero Pro,” that EEBA is developing in partnership with the Department of Energy will be introduced at the group’s High Performance Home Summit this year as a way to help builders looking to comply with a state’s code or complete a net zero home. Indeed, California’s forthcoming Title 24 energy standard will go into effect in 2020, and the Zero Pro platform is geared toward such updates.

EEBA will host its annual summit in San Diego this year, from October 16th through the 18th. The summit’s theme is “Building the Future: Solutions for Healthy, Resilient, and Affordable High Performance Homes,” featuring topic tracks on energy-efficiency and home health, and will include certification programs and a manufacturer showcase. The summit, started in 1985, was created as a way for the organization to share insights and best practices amassed from the industry's innovators to builders in the field. To date, 13,000 building professionals have attended the summit.

Myers sees EEBA as a community of builders united around the ethic that we are all in this together. “The homes we build are here to serve generations … that is not lost on EEBA,” he says, adding that, “nothing is more satisfying than the collaboration between builders,” that occurs at the summit. He advises fellow builders, “don’t go it alone,” when trying to keep up with the market, and emphasizes the value of paying it forward. “It’s a great privilege. That’s the mindset of just about every builder in the room. It’s inspiring. I walk away from the summit every year reminded of why I do this.”

New this year, builders who complete three training classes will become “EEBA Certified High Performance Builders.” EEBA will also have sessions on WaterSense home certification, and an educational track on indoor air quality. For the first time, EEBA will be hosting the Environmental Protection Agency’s Indoor airPLUS Leader awards at the summit.

For early bird registration and more details: http://summit.eeba.org