The August 2024 RESNET HERS Builder of the Month is McDonald Construction Partners in Minnesota. We asked Executive Vice President Carole Griffith to share some insight on building HERS homes for their customers. Griffith tells us that McDonald Construction Partners choose to have its homes HERS Rated because “it aligns with our company values of ‘doing the right thing’. We feel building an energy-efficient home is ‘the right thing to do’ for our customers and our community. A home with a good HERS rating uses less greenhouse gases and consumes less energy and ideally will be less expensive to operate for our customers for many years.” McDonald Construction works with Designated MN Green Path Builder with Housing First Minnesota. They are continually active in the Parade of Homes Energy Efficient Home Tour which requires all homes to be energy tested with a HERS rating. “We support MN Green Path and ENERGY STAR new homes and proudly promote these programs on our website, and marketing materials. We also include additional energy-efficient features that competing builders in our market do not offer standard and train our team members who collaborate directly with our clients so they can explain the value of energy efficiency.” She adds, “We recently completed Ever Green Cottage, a custom home for a private owner who was enthusiastic about building a Net Zero home. The home tested at a -6! This was exciting for them and us and a story we have shared on our website, outlining the various products and practices required by our team and trades to build a home at this level.” McDonald Construction works with two rating companies, Arcxis, and The Energy Network Worldwide. Griffith says, “It’s not uncommon for us to call them for advice on products and practices. We are fortunate to have a long-standing relationship with both teams and are grateful for the relationships we have built over the years”. Read the full profile here.
