Home Innovation Insights

Insider insights on what's going on in the home building industry.

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December 27, 2012

Drop by Drop: Water Infiltration Testing

In our wind-blown rain and air infiltration chamber we huff and puff and see what it takes to blow water into even the tiniest entry points of a home's exterior envelope. Would your products pass our rigorous testing?

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Product Testing, Building Products, Building Codes

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December 13, 2012

Bullish Future for Luxury Home Market?

Don’t throw in the towel on the luxury home market just yet. As single-family housing is coming back to life, some hints of a strengthening luxury home market are appearing as well. Find out what's keeping me optimistic about a bright future for building product manufacturers and suppliers.

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Data and Trends, Survey Research, Building Products, Building Practices, Homebuyer Preferences, Marketing

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December 6, 2012

Multifamily is Hot. Why Green Certify?

The multifamily market is booming and the forecast is bright. So why is voluntary green certification for multifamily also booming now? See what's driving this decision in many markets.

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Tagged:
Green Building, Data and Trends, Energy Performance, Homebuyer Preferences, Affordable Homes, Marketing, Survey Research

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November 22, 2012

'Tis the Season for (Percent Energy) Savings

Visions of holiday savings at the mall may be dancing through the heads of consumers across the country this Thanksgiving weekend, but I've been thinking about percent energy savings instead. What can I say? I'm an energy code geek!

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Tagged:
Energy Performance, Building Codes, Building Practices, Air Sealing Design, Green Building, Insulation

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November 15, 2012

Occupy Green: My 99% Solution

How can we get more builders to build green certified homes and more consumers to seek them out? So glad you asked! Weigh in on this “99% solution” toward building a brighter future for green residential.

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Green Building, Building Practices, Energy Performance, Homebuyer Preferences

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November 8, 2012

When You're Hot, You're Hot

With thermal performance requirements being ratcheted up throughout the building code, it's more important than ever to get a true sense of how the building envelope performs as a system. The Home Innovation can help with our large-scale hot box.

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Energy Performance, Product Testing, Building Products, Building Codes, Insulation

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October 25, 2012

Building Product Market Opps: Attics & Crawlspaces

What's lurking in those dark attics and creepy crawlspaces just in time for Halloween? Market opportunities, if you know what to look for. An Home Innovation Research Labs nationwide survey of builders earlier this month showed some interesting new trends in unvented attics and crawlspaces.

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Survey Research, Building Products, Marketing, Air Sealing Design, Energy Performance, Insulation

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October 18, 2012

Deck the Walls with Insulation

What's one of the "low-hanging fruits" when creating an extremely energy-efficient home? Wall insulation. Be sure not to overlook some of the best practices in this area that can get you closer to your high-performance home goals.

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Tagged:
Energy Performance, Green Building, Building Practices, Insulation

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October 11, 2012

It's Hip to be Square Footage Savvy

The Home Innovation Research Labs recently ushered the ANSI square footage standard through a regular review and updating process. Are you confident in your ability to assess square footage? This standard can be a huge benefit.

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Tagged:
Building Practices, Building Codes

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October 4, 2012

Got Third-Party Certification?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued updated Green Guides earlier this week that emphasize the value of third-party certifications in minimizing potential consumer confusion and "greenwashing." A must-read for those who market their homes as green.

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Tagged:
Marketing, Green Building, Energy Performance, Data and Trends, Homebuyer Preferences

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September 27, 2012

What's New in the 2012 NGBS?

The next version of the ICC 700 National Green Building Standard is soon to make the scene in the home building industry. Find out what has changed from the 2008 version.

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Tagged:
Green Building, Building Codes, Building Practices, Energy Performance

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September 20, 2012

Tried & True: Home Innovation Lab TESTED

In the highly competitive building product market, find out how Home Innovation Research Labs is helping manufacturers highlight the "gee-whiz" product attributes that set them apart from the competition.

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Tagged:
Product Testing, Building Products, Homebuyer Preferences

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September 13, 2012

5 Things You Don't Know About the National Green Building Standard

Think all green rating systems are the same? Think again. Let's set the record straight on some common “unknowns” about the National Green Building Standard and continue the important business of building truly green certified homes and apartments.

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Tagged:
Green Building, Building Practices, Energy Performance, Marketing, Affordable Homes

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September 6, 2012

Effective Green Messaging for New Homes

Don't be fooled – just because prospective homebuyers don't ask for "green" specifically, doesn't mean they don't want the benefits that living in a green home can provide. A homebuyer survey we conducted earlier this year proves that green marketing can be very successful as long as you don't leave the meaning of green open to interpretation.

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Tagged:
Green Building, Survey Research, Marketing, Homebuyer Preferences

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August 30, 2012

Bound for Net Zero

There are lots of ways to describe a net-zero home. But no matter the terminology, there is a real-world proven methodology that Home Innovation Labs has used successfully with builders and remodelers across the country to achieve net-zero – it could work for you too.

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Tagged:
Energy Performance, Green Building, Building Practices, Insulation, Solar Energy

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August 23, 2012

An Open Invitation to the Home Building Industry

Many know Home Innovation Research Labs for our product testing and certification marks, but here are some examples why we’re much more than just a pretty certification label. The invitation is open – get to know us!

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Tagged:
Building Codes, Building Practices, Building Products, Product Testing, Affordable Homes

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August 16, 2012

Do Customers Really Care About Green?

A recent shopping trip highlighted some very salient elements about marketing "green" to consumers – find out my lessons learned.

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Tagged:
Green Building, Homebuyer Preferences, Marketing

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August 9, 2012

To Vent or Not to Vent - Perhaps No Longer an Option

Mechanical ventilation has become a must-do in most parts of the country with the implementation of the 2012 IECC. What do you need to know?

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Tagged:
Air Sealing Design, Energy Performance, Building Practices

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August 2, 2012

Don't Get Caught in A Tight Spot - Pay Attention to Air Sealing

The Home Innovation is helping builders and manufacturers prepare for more stringent air sealing requirements in the 2012 IECC.

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Air Sealing Design, Building Products, Energy Performance, Insulation

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July 26, 2012

Rockin' The Suburbs

Suburbia, which has taken its share of criticism from planners, is still the preferred housing location of a majority of households, according to Harvard's latest state of housing report. Some builders and developers are quieting the suburban critics by doing it right.

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Building Practices, Green Building, Homebuyer Preferences, Marketing

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July 19, 2012

Survey Says... Consumer Austerity Fading, Efficiency Rising

Our Annual Builder Practices Survey shows a return to some pre-recession higher-end preferences and an increase in energy efficiency practices.

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Tagged:
Building Products, Building Practices, Energy Performance, Homebuyer Preferences

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July 12, 2012

NTER-active New Training Platform for Energy Efficiency

A new online training platform is hoping to become a one-stop-shop for interactive energy efficiency training.

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Tagged:
Energy Performance, Solar Energy, Building Practices

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July 5, 2012

Turn Your Homeowner's Manual into a Marketing Opportunity

Turn the Homeowner’s Manual that is required for NGBS green certification from a challenge into an opportunity with these five easy steps you can start doing today.

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Tagged:
Marketing, Green Building, Building Practices

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June 28, 2012

It Takes a Research Center

Moving new technologies into the marketplace is a difficult and daunting task. Usually, the risks are perceived by the private sector to be too excessive given the potential rewards, and opportunities to advance technologies aren’t pursued. That's where we come in.

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Tagged:
Building Practices, Marketing