The builders featured in this year’s Builder of the Month (BOM) profiles are of varying sizes and market locations, but share many commonalities. They all believe that energy efficiency is no longer an add-on luxury but a standard part of homebuilding, and that their customers value the HERS Index for energy savings, as well as the comfort and sustainability of their homes. We start the 2025 BOM class with Arizona’s Fulton Homes, as featured in the RESNET Conference in Tempe, AZ. In one year, Fulton Homes has been recognized as ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, Indoor airPLUS Leader, and EPA WaterSense Partner of the Year, and has done so four times. Dennis Webb, Vice President of Operations at Fulton Homes, tells us they build with HERS because it is an excellent way in which the energy efficiency can be measured and compared to other builders as well as other plans. Fulton builds around 500 homes per year, and their customers love how a HERS-rated home provides them with knowledge about how their home will perform. In February, we feature another award-winning homebuilder, Isla Homes in Florida. Owner Josh Wynne has won Best of Houzz awards annually from 2013-2024. In comparison, Isla Homes is a small, custom home company that builds 2-3 homes a year. Wynne agrees that HERS-rated homes are special because they are designed, tested, and treated to a measurable standard and believes it’s fun for the customers because it gives them a standard to measure against their usage. Halfway across the country, we next profiled Younger Homes, out of Texas. Their custom home, the Texas Hill Country Haven, is a project embodying sustainable luxury through its two connected residences: a main home with a HERS of negative 30 with PV and a guest home with a HERS of 54, both certified to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Indoor airPLUS building standards. With Younger Homes, all buyers are guaranteed a HERS-rated home as a standard feature. Managing Member Jesse Younger says their clients save thousands of dollars a year on their energy bills.”When interest rates are less than favorable, energy efficiency is always a reliable way to save on expenses.” The following month highlighted Townwood Homes as the winner of the 2025 Cross Border Challenge in the CRESNET lowest score custom builder category, with a home HERS Index Score of 42. Townwood Homes, a family-owned Ontario company founded 50 years ago, has long been a leader in home energy efficiency. Michael Tersigni, Director of Sales and Marketing at Townwood Homes, tells us that their buyers value the long-term savings, increased comfort, and healthier indoor air quality provided by their energy-efficient homes. Many homeowners notice steady indoor temperatures, lower energy bills, and fewer allergens—all made possible through features like ERVs, Low-E windows, and airtight construction. Insight Homes, out of Delaware, also makes a point of highlighting the benefits of energy-efficient homes to their customers. Every home comes with a certified HERS score, and they help buyers understand what that means for their monthly costs, comfort, and energy savings. Because solar panels are included at no additional cost, buyers get a better HERS score along with a home designed to significantly reduce or even eliminate electric bills. The panels are fully owned from day one — with no lease, no tie-ins, and no catches.” Next was Starr Homes, a premier custom home builder based in the Kansas City area, known for crafting architecturally distinctive homes with unmatched quality and attention to detail. Through the use of building science and adopting best-in-class building practices as it relates to energy efficiency, Starr Homes uses less energy than a code-built home, dramatically. What this means is lower energy bills, but equally important is that the home will feel more comfortable from room to room. From custom builders to production builders, we highlight Mattamy Homes, one of the largest privately owned homebuilders in North America, with more than 45 years of operations history across the United States and Canada. Similarly, they value building above code homes and the comfort of their customers. “At Mattamy Homes, sustainability is one of our core values. We go beyond code requirements to make sure our homes are both affordable and energy-efficient…this ensures the home delivers comfort, lower energy costs, and long-term value.” From production builders to nonprofits, we talk with Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County in Delaware. The Habitat affiliate ranks among the top three of 210 Habitat northeast affiliates (from Delaware to Maine) in terms of housing production. Affiliate CEO Kevin Smith talked about their latest development, Bennett Point, a project of 12 ENERGY STAR and ZERH-certified homes. It was their first experience building HERS-rated homes. He says, “We are excited to hear from these new homeowners about what their energy bills look like and compare them to our non-HERS-rated homes.” Two Structures Homes builds high-performance homes across the Oklahoma City metro—designed to save money, improve indoor air quality, and reduce environmental impact. Each home is independently certified by OG&E’s Positive Energy Program and built to meet or exceed national energy efficiency standards, including HERS® and ENERGY STAR certification. As Jay Evans tells us, “Our customers consistently tell us how much they value the benefits of their HERS-rated home. Many are pleasantly surprised at how low their monthly utility bills are, and they notice right away how comfortable their homes feel throughout the seasons. Beyond the savings, they say the HERS Score gives them peace of mind. It’s reassuring to know that their home was tested, verified, and built with care — not just for today, but for the many years they’ll call it home.” Finally, we round out the year with Stockell Homes of Missouri. Sharing similar sentiments as others, Vice President Don Stockell tells us, “Today’s homebuyers should expect their new homes to be more cost-effective to heat and cool than older homes. Energy efficiency is no longer a luxury; it’s a standard of modern, responsible homebuilding. Our customers appreciate the assurance that their new home will be more affordable to operate than comparable non-rated homes.” As we head into the seventh year of the Builder of the Month profile series, we at RESNET are pleased to continue to see how builders of all volumes, from across the country, are using the HERS Index to serve their customers, and the environment, while helping to lead the path to a net-zero energy future. We thank the 2025 class of RESNET HERS Builders of the Month and look forward to profiling more builders in the coming year. If interested in participating in our series, please contact info@resnet.us
