By Stacy Hunt
With the housing market and competition getting tighter, anything you can do to help differentiate your product and grow your business is a good thing. As it turns out, help may be available from a very unexpected source: the federal government. There are some government programs available that involve only a little upfront investment but can yield many benefits and rewards.
For a small business, it can be tough to decipher what these programs are good for, whom they are geared for, and how to use them most effectively. We've tried to break it down simply, by talking about the key benefits of each of the programs to your business, and how to take advantage of what they have to offer.
The three primary federal programs that exist for the residential construction industry are:
- The Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Qualified New Homes, and Home Performance by Energy Star (for existing homes).
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) Program.
- The Department of Energy's Building America Program.
Carlos Martin with the PATH program sums it up nicely when he says that all three programs are intended to address different market needs. "I look at it this way," he says. "The DOE's Building America Program is focused primarily on research. The PATH program is focused primarily on providing information. The Energy Star program is primarily a marketing program."
While the programs are more complicated than that, Martin's comments essentially summarize the key benefits to a builder or remodeler's business. Combining the benefits of all three can provide a builder with a business toolbox that may not be readily accessible to him otherwise.
These programs have much more to offer than meets the eye and more than we can cover in this article. However, look for the following items as the "low hanging fruit"—simple ways to take advantage of the programs:
Energy Star. With some simple improvements to your construction practices, you can achieve Energy Star levels of home performance and take advantage of a consumer brand that's known by 2/3 of U.S. consumers, according to the program. The program provides extensive marketing and communications material support that you can use to market your homes to new customers.
PATH. The PATH program provides an extensive online library of information on new technologies, systems and strategies through Toolbase. The information on Toolbase can be a great resource for you as you evaluate the incorporation of new construction practices. It also can be used to increase your customers' awareness of the competitive advantage you bring by using innovative new technology.
Building America. This program provides research results on cutting-edge energy technologies, as well as technical support information on how to achieve specific levels of energy performance in new homes through their Best Practice Guides.
Finally, if you're looking for tax incentives for providing renewable energy technologies to your homeowners (or for your own business), check out the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy.
As our government tries to lower our country's dependence upon foreign energy sources, create a more sustainable energy industry domestically, and support "green" construction practices, taking advantage of programs like these is just another way builders can do their part to support these national initiatives.
Energy-efficient, durable, safe, healthy and comfortable homes can be very attractive to today's homeowners. For the builders who constructs and effectively markets such homes, the quality of the product could be the edge they need.
And in a tight market, anything can make a big difference.
Stacy Hunt is a freelance writer and communications consultant based in Pittsburgh. Formerly the business manager for BuildIQ, Inc. and IBACOS, Inc., she specializes in residential construction and building science.
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