EP68 How low can you go? Achieving 2020's lowest average HERS score with Gene Myers - Thrive Home Builders
Release Date: 03/29/2021
EP141 Ventilation, Codes & Comfort: What Builders Need to Know Now with Patrick Nielsen
RESTalk
"As homes get tighter, ventilation isn't optional—it's essential." — Patrick Nielsen In this episode of RESTalk, host Bill Spohn sits down with Patrick Nielsen, Global Technical Products Manager at Broan-NuTone, to discuss the evolving world of home ventilation. With over two decades of experience, Patrick walks us through the major drivers shaping residential ventilation practices today—from tighter building envelopes to the growing emphasis on indoor air quality and energy efficiency. Patrick explains the importance of dwelling unit ventilation (DUV), spot vs. whole-house...
info_outline
EP140 The Future of QA at RESNET®: Automation, Oversight, and ENERGY STAR Updates with Scott Doyle
RESTalk
"You can’t manage what you can’t measure." — Peter Drucker In this insightful episode of RESTalk, host Bill Spohn welcomes Scott Doyle, RESNET’s Managing Director of Quality Assurance (QA), for a comprehensive update on what’s ahead in the world of RESNET QA®. Scott unpacks the most significant changes hitting the registry, Chapter 9 standards, and the QA app—all designed to modernize, streamline, and strengthen the QA process. The conversation delves into how these updates will affect HERS® raters and providers, with a major focus on the ENERGY STAR QA/QC program. Scott...
info_outline
EP139 Concrete Innovations: The Story of Arizona’s First 3D-Printed Home with Jason Barlow
RESTalk
"Innovation is taking two things that exist and putting them together in a new way." — Tom Freston In this episode of the RESTalk podcast, Bill Spohn sits down with Jason Barlow, former President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona, to discuss a groundbreaking achievement in homebuilding—the first 3D-printed concrete home in Arizona. Jason shares how this innovative project, born from a collaboration with ASU graduates and a German scaffolding company, PERI, pushed the boundaries of affordable housing construction. From overcoming extreme heat challenges to designing...
info_outline
EP138 From Learning to Leading: How the ELC Fellows Are Transforming the Industry with Jennifer Goldberg, Dorian Gothard and Alex Haworth
RESTalk
"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." – John F. Kennedy In this episode of RESTalk, host Bill Spohn welcomes the 2025 Emerging Leadership Council (ELC) fellows—Jennifer Goldberg, Dorian Gothard, and Alex Haworth—for an insightful discussion on their career journeys, experiences at the RESNET conference, and their visions for the future of energy efficiency and building science. Each fellow shares how they entered the industry, what drew them to the ELC program, and how they apply their knowledge professionally and personally. The conversation covers key...
info_outline
Inside RESNET®: Quality Assurance, Collaboration , and Impact with Ryan Moore, Jordi Kimbrough, and Michael Matthews
RESTalk
“Excellence is never an accident. It results from high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution, and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities." – Aristotle (adapted interpretation) In this insightful episode of RESTalk, host Bill Spohn interviews three key members of RESNET's team.: Ryan Moore, Jordi Kimbrough in Quality Assurance, and Michael Matthews in Programs. Each brings a unique background and perspective to their roles, strengthening RESNET’s mission to ensure high-quality standards in energy-efficient home ratings. Ryan Moore, the Quality...
info_outline
EP136 Your Guide to RESNET® 2025: Tracks, Events, and Exciting Updates with Clara Hedrick
RESTalk
Networking is not about just connecting people. It’s about connecting people with ideas and opportunities -Michele Jennae In this episode of RESTalk, Bill Spohn chats with Clara Hedrick, Lead Events Coordinator for RESNET®, to discuss the upcoming 2025 RESNET® Conference. Clara shares the event details, which is set to take place from January 26-29, 2025, in Tempe, Arizona. Attendees can look forward to engaging sessions, dynamic networking opportunities, and exciting receptions hosted by sponsors like NAIMA and Knauf. Clara highlights the innovative offerings this year,...
info_outline
EP135 RESTalk Rewind 2024: Milestones, Innovations, and the Road Ahead with Bill Spohn
RESTalk
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." – Eleanor Roosevelt Welcome to a special episode of RESTalk: "Best of RESTalk 2024"! This year has been transformative for RESNET® and the residential energy efficiency industry. From setting bold goals to launching innovative tools and forming impactful collaborations, 2024 has redefined what's possible in energy efficiency and sustainability. In this episode, we revisit the year's most insightful and impactful moments, featuring highlights from the conversations that shaped the industry. Join us as we...
info_outline
EP134 Boosting Efficiency: How RESNET®’s QA App Is Transforming the Industry with Kiro Bondarev, Kelvin Abong and Billy Giblin
RESTalk
Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. – Benjamin Franklin In this episode of RESTalk, Bill Spohn speaks with three guests to discuss the RESNET® QA app, an innovative tool designed to streamline the quality assurance process for home energy ratings. Bill is joined by Billy Giblin, RESNET®’s quality assurance field specialist, Kelvin Abong and Kiro Bondarev from The Fourth Dimension (4D), RESNET®'s technology partner. Together, they explore the app’s journey from ideation to execution, its role in harmonizing...
info_outline
EP133 Bridging the Gap: The Future of Energy Code Compliance with RESNET® HERS® Raters with Mark Johnson and Steve Baden
RESTalk
Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice. Anton Chekhov In this episode of the RESTalk podcast, host Bill Spohn talks with Mark Johnson from the International Code Council (ICC) and Steve Baden from RESNET® about a new collaboration to enhance energy code compliance. They discuss the growing complexities of energy codes, particularly the challenge of ensuring compliance amid increasing technical and regulatory demands. To address this, ICC and RESNET® are introducing a program to involve HERS raters as third-party verifiers, providing quality assurance and supporting...
info_outline
Ep 132 From 360K to 1 Million: RESNET®’s Vision for the Future with Scott Doyle and Ryan Meres
RESTalk
Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort. John Ruskin In this episode of RESTalk, host Bill Spohn is joined by Scott Doyle and Ryan Meres from RESNET® to discuss their ambitious goal of achieving one million ratings annually by 2028. The conversation begins with an overview of RESNET®'s significant progress, which recorded 360,000 ratings in 2023—a 136% increase since 2013. The discussion highlights the importance of quality assurance in maintaining the credibility of the HERS rating system, particularly as RESNET® scales its operations and...
info_outline“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world.
For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.”
- Margaret Mead
Winning national housing awards year after year, comes with focused effort.
However, the efforts put forth by Thrive Home Builders are NOT focused on winning awards.
What are the simple concepts that Thrive executes so well that have put them in such a special group and allowed them to flourish (or thrive)?
What advice does Thrive have for builders who wish to start the journey to high performance and even Net Zero homes?
Our guest today is Gene Myers who founded GreenTree Homes in the Denver area in 1992, well before green was a thing. Under his leadership the company has grown into the very successful and award winning Thrive Home Builders.
Gene has developed this award-winning green building program to meet the highest standards of LEED®, Indoor airPLUS, Zero Energy Ready Homes and Energy Star®.
In 2020, Thrive also achieved the lowest average HERS score (26.9) in the country for a builder completing more than 50 homes.
Recognized as 2019’s EPA Indoor airPLUS Leader of the Year, Thrive tells potential customers they “can breathe easy knowing their Thrive home was built to the highest health standards with superior air quality.”
Gene has created a recipe for success that he shares with us in this conversation.
One of the key points is education, first of his team, then of his customer.
He uses the resources of programs, and his HERS rater in this continuum of education.
To learn more about Thrive Home Builders visit their website: www.ThriveHomeBuilders.com
RESTalk: To the RESNET community, we hear you and want to engage.
Pros can learn more at www.RESNET.us/professional
Consumers can learn more at www.RESNET.us
Or for more info on this topic contact RESNET at [email protected]