August 24, 2017
Dear Members and Industry Companies,
About a month ago, NCBPA held its fourth annual conference in Charlotte to help our members and industry professionals learn, network and contribute to the roadmap for our industry’s future. Thanks to all of you that attended! We received incredibly valuable feedback from attendees and have already incorporated it into much of the work our staff and interns have been working on over the summer.
And now, the really fun part.
NCBPA, your industry not-for-profit trade association, is about to roll out a wealth of new consumer and industry resources and events that are going to truly open up NC’s building performance market to new investment, new consumer demand and new benefits to your companies.
Please read through the updates below to learn about the work we’re doing to better your company and your career. Not a member yet? You should be! Your membership supports our work on these initiatives (and many others) while also providing your company and its staff with the many benefits our association offers its members. Visit our website to join for as little as $100 per year.
New Commercial Buildings Education Website Launching This Fall
In the next two to three months NCBPA will launch www.BuildingPerformanceNC.org as a brand new website offering building owners and operators a wealth of information that encourages their participation in audits, retrofits, certification programs, utility rebates and more. The site will offer guidance to anyone looking to improve the performance of NC-based hospitals, office buildings, restaurants, retail shops and many other building types. Perhaps most importantly for our members, the site will include a searchable Contractor Directory providing easy-to-use listings for architects, builders, commissioning agents, product suppliers and others. Make sure your company is listed by joining NCBPA today!
Relaunch of Residential Education Website Launching Soon With New Workshop Available
Also coming soon is a relaunch of NCBPA’s existing residential consumer education website www.HomeEnergyNC.org that received a major upgrade over the summer. The website, available to homeowners, renters, senior citizens, students and others, now includes a “Green Building” tab providing helpful information on all types of residential green and high performance construction, includes a growing list of Frequently Asked Questions related to crawlspaces, insulation and more, and also advertises a new workshop offered by NCBPA to employers that want to help their employees improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Visit the new website – and yes, Contractor Directory – to check out the new updates and provide us with your feedback!
Third Annual High Performance Buildings Report Coming Soon
Thanks to data collected this summer from our members and industry partners, NCBPA will soon release its third annual market inventory report that analyzes NC’s growing inventory of energy efficient, green and high performance homes and buildings. In addition to reporting on the most popular types and geographical areas of certification programs and rating systems, this year’s report includes a sales analysis on the most popular residential certification programs used in the state. Last year’s report identified more than 180,000 new and retrofitted building units since 2007. Be on the lookout for the report release in a few weeks to learn the latest figures.
Comprehensive Energy Efficiency in NC Investment Policy Report Coming Soon
NCBPA is excited to soon release a comprehensive report that defines, perhaps for the first-time ever, a policy strategy, regulatory roadmap and investment case for supporting and growing NC’s residential and commercial energy efficiency industry! The report will clearly outline policy, legislative, regulatory and other opportunities that our companies can benefit from now and well into the future. Additional topics include seeking state support for workforce development programs, establishing a pathway to energy, water and performance benchmarking in homes and buildings, and a variety of rebate and incentive opportunities that support our member companies. The report will be released in a few weeks and we look forward to your feedback.
Three Upcoming Conferences Available to Industry Professionals
NCBPA welcomes your attendance at one or all of these upcoming industry education and networking events:
- Sep 28 – 29: 2017 HPC Southeast Home Performance Conference & Trade Show followed by SCBPA’s Annual Conference in Greenville, SC
- Oct 17 – 18: Health, Safety and Comfort Coalition of North Carolina’s “Current Issues Conference” in Hickory, NC
- Nov 8: Save the Date for NCBPA’s Fourth Quarter Regional Meeting in Wilmington, NC
Home Performance Lobby Day in Washington, DC on Sep 13th
Join NCBPA staff, members and our national industry lobbyists for a full day of meetings with legislators to encourage their support of federal programs, rebates and more. Meetings are being scheduled with several NC representatives. Attend to lend your voice to industry advocacy efforts and lobby our House and Senate members to protect and promote your company’s business environment. All you need to do is RSVP, schedule your own travel arrangements and show up – we’ll take care of the rest. Email us at Info@BuildingNC.org to register or with questions.
Green MLS Work Taking Shape Across North Carolina
NCBPA has received verbal commitments from MLS providers in the Triangle, Western NC and Eastern NC to add new green fields and accept auto-populated data generated from Home Energy Ratings, solar installations, geothermal installations and more. We attended the National Association of Realtors® Sustainability Summit last month to provide insight into our progress thus far and receive support from NAR, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and others. Our staff is also actively working with RESNET’s Board of Directors to develop a data sharing policy for the organization that supports the needs of NCBPA, NAR, NAHB and other partners. Following the release of our upcoming sales price analysis, NCBPA will dig-in with these providers and others in Greensboro and Charlotte to implement the needed changes and begin educating Builders, Realtors, Appraisers, Contractors and others on how to use the new resources available. Stay tuned for more information on these valuable efforts.
Thank You!
Please contact me directly with any questions you have about these or other industry opportunities that NCBPA may assist you with.
Best,
Ryan Miller
Founder & Executive Director
