Builder Magazine recently featured profiles of five professionals under the age of 40 who the publication found represent the next generation of research-based building practitioners. Three of those five include two HERS® Raters and RESNET’s own staff member, Program Director Ryan Meres. As the article opens, “While it’s no secret that building professionals such as plumbers, framers, and electricians are in short supply across the U.S., another type of construction-related labor shortage is just as pressing but often overlooked: the lack of young people who are interested in building science.” RESNET was also noted for its Emerging Leadership Council (one of its members is HERS® Rater Nathan Kahre) and its efforts to build the next generation of industry leaders. The article references the Council’s recently created toolkit for rating providers to use to speak to schools about their work. Ryan Meres, RESNET The profile on RESNET’s Ryan Meres details his passion for energy performance throughout his career, beginning with his study of architecture and sustainable design, followed by his work for building performance institutions such as Southface Energy Institute, the DOE’s Building Energy Codes Program, and the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), prior to coming to RESNET in 2017. At RESNET, the article notes, Meres’ top task is to increase the number of HERS-rated homes in the U.S. and he works to get more real estate professionals to see the benefit of using HERS® ratings. Meres is trying to get HERS® Index Scores into real estate listings and educate appraisers to recognize the value of HERS-rated homes. In a new partnership with the Appraisal Institute, residential appraisers now have access to HERS® data for their area. Additionally, one of his current projects involves developing a whole-house water efficiency rating with RESNET, which will be an ANSI standard when it’s finished. The proprietary version, called HERSH2O, will be ancillary to the current HERS® rating. It has become clear that more consumers are demanding an energy-efficient home, but Meres notes that not every consumer is focused on their electric bill. “What really sells—I believe—is comfort,” Meres says. “And that fact just might lead to more efficient, and resilient, homes.” Click here to read more of Ryan’s profile and the links below to read the profiles for HERS® Raters Thiel Butner of Pando Alliance and Nathan Kahre of Thrive Homes. RESNET applauds them all for their hard work as the future of home performance! Thiel Butner, Pando Alliance “In her final year at Prescott College in Arizona, Thiel Butner had one core requirement for her senior project: to demonstrate competence in her chosen field. As an environmental studies major with a focus in ecological design, she took an internship at Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake in Baltimore, coming on just as the affiliate was constructing its first Energy Star–certified homes.” Read more HERE. Nathan Kahre, Thrive Homes “Nathan Kahre was studying microbiology as an undergrad at East Tennessee State when a friend asked for help renovating his house. The experience of taking most of the building down to the studs was transformative. ‘I did a 180 on my career path because of how much I loved it,’ says Kahre, who promptly switched his major to construction management. Now working for a small production builder focused on net-zero-energy homes, he is helping to set the pace for new-home construction.” Read more HERE.
