Developing the “Success with” Series

We are dedicated to making buildings across America healthy, safe, durable, comfortable, energy efficient and environmentally responsible. We work to create strong relationships with the people and organizations that promote building performance.

In 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released ENERGY STAR Version 2, which required builders in the program to build homes to a tighter energy efficient standard. Its release saw pushback due to complicated instructions, and builders began to drop out of the program. Advanced Energy was called to help and designed a resource and training program to simplify the changes and assist builders. 

The “Success with Series” took complicated codes and programs and separated them out by job function (framer, electrician, plumber, etc.). A checklist was then created for each trade and included pictures of what the task looks like when performed correctly and incorrectly. Once the checklists were formed, we held trainings and distributed the materials to the various trades in both English and Spanish. With these processes, builders and trades can experience less risk and fewer callbacks, and new energy efficiency code standards can be completed correctly, every time.

Thanks to the Success with Series, builders began to re-enroll in ENERGY STAR, and the practice has been adopted for other programs, like EarthCents, home performance standards and statewide energy codes. For energy codes, each Success with Series is customized to a specific code and state. The same concept is used, with directions separated by trade and pictures providing better understanding. The series as a whole is an example of how education and training can support important energy programs and increase adoption among construction professions.

The resource has become one of our most impactful national market-transforming educational undertakings. We have made it our mission to make energy code information easy to understand and implement throughout the nation, state by state. It’s not just about awareness, delivering information or even behavior change; it’s about creating a mechanism for reaching and communicating with the market to enable that change. To further this effort, we released the technical checklists and step-by-step pictorial guides online for quick access. 

As we strive to make these resources more accessible, we hope that the future of energy efficiency continues to improve.