Built America Magazine’s The Journey to Net Zero is the third in a three-part special edition dedicated to sustainability, performance-based design, and the innovators leading the charge toward a greener future. In this issue, they celebrate the visionaries, builders, and communities who are boldly redefining what it means to build sustainably in Western North Carolina. So it was fitting that they interviewed RESNET Programs Director Ryan Meres and Programs Specialist Michael Matthews, both North Carolina residents, on RESNET’s role in this “journey to net zero” The article begins, “The American dream is shifting. It’s no longer just about square footage, school districts, or granite countertops. More now than ever, it’s about what we can’t see: the air that moves through the walls, the heat we don’t waste, the carbon we don’t emit. And in this unseen transformation, RESNET has been quietly doing the work for decades – standard by standard, score by score.” It continues, “For an organization of approximately 20 staff, RESNET’s impact is enormous. That’s no accident – it’s strategic. ‘RESNET is a small organization,’ Ryan acknowledged. ‘So collaborations are extremely important to the work that we do.’ Whether with utility companies, municipal governments, or nonprofits like Green Built Alliance, RESNET’s strength lies in its ecosystem.” For Matthews, the rating isn’t just about kilowatts or compliance. It’s personal. “I worked with an affordable housing program that partnered quite often with Habitat for Humanity in North Carolina,” He said, “and I was able to work directly with homeowners… explaining the importance of the results of a HERS rating. Seeing that HERS rating enables homeowners to anticipate what their electric bill is going to be… and know how to budget going forward.” Read the full article at The Power Behind RESNET® and the Homes We Call Our Own
