July GreenHome Job Alerts + Gen Z and Green Building

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Regarding jobs, the next generation (Gen Z) is saying they want green jobs but need help getting the training they need for the correct skills. “In a survey by LinkedIn, around three-quarters of Gen Z workers said that they’re now even more concerned about climate change than they were a year ago. Around half are experiencing climate anxiety or chronic distress about climate disasters and the future of the planet; 61% want to get a green job within the next five years, but fewer than 20% say that they see a clear path to getting those jobs.” The reality is there are many green homes and sustainability jobs! Every month, we post our new #greenhomejob alerts, and many of these jobs are entry-level. Some are even internships. If you know anyone looking to start their green jobs career, please help share this. The good news is when it comes to filling the skilled labor gap, the next generation is now pouring into these jobs over traditional degrees and it is great to have teachers like Matt Blomquist, the Building Trades Instructor at Taylorville High School, who is ensuring these students are getting the net zero green home jobs training to prepare them for the future, filling the skilled trades gap and growing interest in green jobs.  GHI offers many non-traditional forms of training and alternatives to college education that provide certifications and accreditation to focus on what they want to do. Learn more and take our short quiz to see which training is right for you!

DOE Launches Zero Emissions Building Definition – How Do Existing Homes Benefit? 

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Having a zero-emission home is important to save money and improve comfort and health while reducing your impact on the environment. Until now,  there has been no concise definition of what this means in the housing sector. Now we are excited to share with you that the US Department of Energy (DOE) has released a national definition of zero-emissions buildings. The definition includes energy efficiency, electrification, and onsite or offsite renewables through Renewable Energy Credits (RECS). This definition is part one of a two-part definition, with part two focusing on embodied or upfront carbon. This definition works best for new and existing commercial buildings and may apply to newly constructed multifamily and single-family buildings. There are clear and viable strategies for those building types, and GHI will release further guidance and training on those strategies for residential units soon. There are strategies for existing homes with a year of accurate utility data, but they must be clarified. However, this standard requires that existing single-family homes have access to utility data.

During the public comment period, GHI urged the Department of Energy (DOE)  to adopt a Home Energy Score of 10 as a baseline for existing homes for this definition. We have provided some clarity on this determination below, and GHI noted that single-family homes can now use the EPA Portfolio Manager Program (ESPM) to help determine how efficient your home is. GHI recently scored homes using the ESPM tool; we entered monthly energy usage, solar power consumed on-site, solar power sent to the grid, and electric car usage. The DOE definition for existing buildings states that an existing building must get an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher. Getting an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher is only possible with 12 months or more of existing utility data. This method only works for homes that are occupied or not being sold or redeveloped. Click here or view the video below for a quick tutorial on using the EPA Portfolio Manager for your existing single-family home project. 

Regarding DOE using a Home Energy Score of 10 as a baseline, for residential projects that don’t have 12 months of existing utility bills or are highly inaccurate, the DOE Home Energy Score can help. The DOE guidance states, “If the building is ineligible for an ENERGY STAR score, the whole building’s site energy use intensity (EUI) is at least 35% better than the median EUI for buildings of that category.”

The US Energy Information Administration’s 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey provides a median Energy Use Intensity (EUI) that varies depending on location and home ownership. Features such as climate, urban or rural setting, and home type contribute to energy usage differences. The US Dept of Energy (DOE) Home Energy Score (HES) adjusts the energy use requirements based on climate zone. To find the corresponding DOE Home Energy Score, you can check the MMBtu ranges through this link. A 35% reduction from the average US Single Family Home will likely fall from a score of 8 to 10, depending on your region. 

The ENERGY STAR Portfolio manager approach listed above only tells you or your client(s) how they are performing compared to other homes – it does not tell you why you are performing so poorly (or better). That is why the DOE Home Energy Score approach is important; it tells you “the why” and gives you home improvement recommendations. So a good-better-best approach to doing this is you and/or your clients can go to an open source DIY DOE Home Energy Score tool to evaluate the home; the better approach is to do this in tandem with watching our educational session on how to navigate and use this tool. The best approach is to hire a DOE Home Energy Score Assessor, which could also qualify you for a $150 tax credit through the Inflation Reduction Act and/or up to $8,000 through the state HOMES rebates programs when you complete the upgrades needed to achieve the Zero Emissions Building standard. You can search for a local Home Energy Score Assessor here, and train to become one if you want to offer this service.


Please stay tuned for additional training and education, including articles and webinars on how to achieve the new DOE Zero Emissions Definition for your new construction or existing improvement project on new single-family and multifamily homes. The GHI GreenStar Homes Certification program currently offers two badges, the Zero Energy Certified and Zero Carbon Certified, which are fairly in line with this standard and will be updated to match it. You can check them out here to get started on your project now. 

June GreenHome Job Alerts

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Have you seen the latest GreenHome and Sustainability Job Offerings?

Dale Hulst of Michigan Net Zero Homes LLC, a GreenHome Institute member, is looking for a versatile carpenter with flexibility to work on a Phius (pre certified) house starting around July 1.  The house, located just north of the medical mile in Grand Rapids, includes several innovative, high-performance features including a “slabless slab,” double-wall construction, and a goal of achieving “better than passive house” air-tightness.  Interested candidates can check out more details in the job description (link below), learn more about the vision at https://minetzero.com, or email dale@minetzero.com with questions.  You will be joining a team of people passionate about high-quality construction and innovation, learning together how to efficiently build best-in-class assemblies.  Pay is commensurate with experience.

Full Job Description Here 

Thoughts on the new federal energy code impacting a quarter of all new housing

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A new residential building code is being adopted for USDA and HUD housing, and the two narratives that are coming from this adoption are that the homes will be more energy-efficient and save people money in the long term. However, the increased upfront cost will potentially shut some people out from being able to afford that home. Both of these arguments can be true at the same time. We should be concerned about these issues as inflation harms homeownership through construction cost increases. Yet, homes built less efficiently drive up the total cost of homeownership as energy prices rise. The good news is that the improvement in the building code could position homes and multifamily buildings to align with incentive programs to help reduce the cost. These include the Inflation Reduction Act 45L Tax Credit, which can provide up to $5000 per home or unit in addition to local utility program incentives. For example, in Michigan, Consumers Energy boosted home rebates. The other benefit to the HUD/USDA ruling that many overlook is that it allows the use of third-party residential green building certification programs. GreenHome Institute’s Education Manager is quoted in the recent GBA article on this issue explaining how third-party green building programs, including LEED, National Green Building Standard, Enterprise Green, and other viable certification programs (such as GreenStar Homes Certification) will be exciting to builders. This is because many of these programs offer choice and flexibility, meeting these standards by focusing on different aspects of the five pillars of residential green building: Energy, Health, Materials, Water, and Place. In some aspects, builders focus on what is important to them when pursuing the certification to meet the requirements, which can also be tied in to further funding sources, rebates, and increased home or building value. Increasing home health/comfort and building resiliency as the climate worsens brings intangible value not directly measured in immediate financial returns, thus another benefit of meeting this higher standard. Even insurance companies are coming out to support these codes to protect insurance cost increases from climate events. Let’s also opine for a minute on who will be enforcing these building codes in states and local jurisdictions that still need to adopt them. Considering how building codes are adopted, there is no national federal energy code, so who will be going in to ensure that only federally funded homes meet these energy efficiency standards in all these states? We understand the code is enforced by the builder’s sign-off statement and a lender’s review. Is this an appropriate way to ensure a code is met? 

In the meantime, in summary, the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits and local incentives encourage better buildings, and third-party green certifications offer an enforcement mechanism to ensure they meet these standards. 

Could new federal water heater standards backfire?

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Now that excitement about the new federal water heater standards has died down, after reading many of the posts and shares about this, it is unclear if many who are excited about this truly read the fine print or reflected on the real impact this will have.

While it is great that at least half of the electric tank water heaters will convert into heat pump water heaters, this could be negative and encourage more installations of methane or propane gas water heaters that are naturally drafting. This is because, first, it is very surprising that in the year 2024, it is still allowed to install a natural drafting water heater, which can risk putting pollution into people’s homes, such as risks from carbon monoxide. It typically means these are vented through old chimneys, which are durability issues that lead to moisture and mold risk, and these devices are inefficient. These devices are still getting incentives, and people still install them quickly when the current water heater fails because most plumbers and HVAC still carry these and don’t always offer something better. Switching to more electric tank water heaters to heat pumps may drive away many consumers who still prefer a traditional tank because of the lack of space for a heat pump, who may now decide to switch to gas and take the cheapest path using natural drafting. It’s still being determined if this will make the intended impact it had hoped. Thankfully, under the Inflation Reduction Act, there are now up to $2,000+ tax credits and rebates for heat pump water heaters and efficient electric ones (which should ensure time-of-use programming), and the GreenStar Homes Program offers guidance and inspection services to ensure this is done and that if the natural draft will remain, it is safer. 

Learn more about Rheem Heat Pump Water Heater selections for many different use types.

Thoughts on the new federal energy code impacting a quarter of all new housing

/0 Comments/in /by

A new residential building code is being adopted for USDA and HUD housing, and the two narratives that are coming from this adoption are that the homes will be more energy-efficient and save people money in the long term; however, the increased upfront cost will potentially shut some people out from being able to afford that home. Both of these arguments can be true at the same time. We should be concerned about these issues as inflation harms homeownership through construction cost increases. Yet, homes built less efficiently drive up the total cost of homeownership as energy prices rise. The good news is that the increase in the building code will get these homes and multifamily buildings right in line with other incentive programs to help reduce the cost. These include the Inflation Reduction Act 45L Tax Credit, which can pay up to $5000 per home or unit stacked on top of local utility program incentives; for example, in Michigan, the Consumers Energy boosted home rebates. The other benefit to the HUD/USDA ruling that many overlook is that it allows the use of third-party residential green building certification programs. GHI Education Manager is quoted in the recent GBA article on this issue explaining these 3rd party green building programs, including LEED, National Green Building Standard, Enterprise Green, and other viable certification programs (like our GreenStar Homes Certification.), will be exciting to builders. It is exciting because many of these programs offer choice and flexibility, meeting these standards by focusing on different aspects of the five pillars of residential green building: Energy, Health, Materials, Water, and Place. In some aspects, builders focus on what is important to them when pursuing the certification to meet the requirements, which can also be tied into further funding sources, rebates, and increased home or building value. Increasing home health/comfort and building resiliency as the climate worsens brings intangible value not directly measured in immediate financial returns. Thus, another benefit of meeting this higher standard. Even insurance companies are coming out to support these codes to protect insurance cost increases from climate. Let’s also opine for a minute on who will be enforcing these building codes in states and local jurisdictions that still need to adopt them. If you understand how building codes are adopted, there is no national federal energy code, so who will be going in to ensure that only federally funded homes meet these energy efficiency standards in all these states? If anyone reading this knows the answers, please share how it works. In the meantime, in summary, the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits and local incentives encourage the building of homes better, and the 3rd party green certification provides the enforcement mechanism to ensure they meet these standards.  

April 2024 GreenHome and Sustainability Jobs Round-Up.

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Are you looking for a job in sustainable housing? Consider the internationally recognized sustainability credential, the LEED Green Associate. You can take our training class by following this link. GHI members get free access to the training and practice exam. Below are several jobs you may be interested in applying for or sharing with a friend. Follow us on LinkedIn at  #greenhomejobalert for real-time job updates over the next month.  

Protected: Public comment on Inflation Reduction Act Home Rebates opening in MI and beyond

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Shawn Neinhouse completed Certified GreenHome Professional Training

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Shawn Nienhouse recently completed his certified GreenHome Professional credential by taking our online on-demand course training. Shawn also recently won a copy of the New 7th Edition of John Krigger’s Residential Energy. 

In both cases, these efforts will help Shawn as a Construction Project Manager at the GHI member Kent County Habitat for Humanity Chapter. Shawn will be assisting in the construction of all LEED-certified housing to continue to reduce energy bills for families in need and a mission to improve housing performance, which brings in further equity to families in need by owning higher-performing homes. 

We commend Shawn for his eagerness to learn and to help build better homes, ensuring greener homes for all! 

Please take this MSU Student’s Mass Timber Survey

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“My name is Hemangi Chavan, and I am currently a graduate student pursuing a Master’s degree in Construction Management at Michigan State University. Under the guidance of Prof. George Berghorn, I am conducting research on mass timber materials and construction as part of my master’s thesis.

I would like to extend an invitation for you to participate in a brief survey that forms an integral part of my research. Your voluntary participation is of immense value, and your responses will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. The survey is designed to take approximately 15 minutes to complete and covers various aspects related to mass timber construction.

I want to emphasize that this survey is not a test of your knowledge but an opportunity for me to understand your perspectives and experiences in the field. There are no right or wrong answers, and your input is highly valued regardless of your level of expertise about mass timber.

Survey link: https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_em7FGOOEqu83KHc

Additionally, I have received 120 responses so far and need 400 more to reach my goal. I would greatly appreciate it if you could share this invitation within your network. The study caters to both academia and industry professionals within the AEC community, and your assistance in spreading the word is immensely appreciated. 

Should you have any questions regarding the survey or my research, please feel free to reach out to me via email at chavanhe@msu.edu or direct message on LinkedIn.

Thank you sincerely for considering this invitation.”

-Hemangi Chavan