Introducing the BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH ALLIANCE
The Alliance is a collaborative research and development initiative founded by IBACOS and aligned with the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America program. The Alliance was created at the end of 2006 based on a simple idea: bring together some of the most forward-thinking builders in the industry to help define the next generation of Best Practices in Homebuilding™ - practices that will result in homes that are more safe, healthy, durable, comfortable, energy efficient, and environmentally responsible. Practices that the rest of the industry will seek to adopt.
Homes that give more™. The balance of power has shifted to the consumer. With 24-hour access to the Internet, homeowners do their homework. They expect more, and ask questions - new questions, and they're empowered to demand more performance for their homes. For builders to thrive in this new environment, they need new technologies and processes and a new way of looking at homebuilding. That's where the Alliance comes in. By bringing the best minds in the business together to create, collaborate, and share, Best Practices will be born more quickly, more cost effectively, and more profitably.
Partners in innovation. They don't have to be the industry's biggest, just the biggest thinkers. That's the basic criteria we used when inviting homebuilders to join the Alliance. Our partners represent a cross-section of homebuilders from every climate zone in the country, and each is committed to a common goal: doing the right thing.
The Alliance is also seeking out the industry's leading suppliers and organizations that share this thinking and are willing to give us their support to make a real difference in the way we build.
A far reaching agenda. Ultimately, the Alliance wants to help builders construct highly desirable, zero-energy homes - homes that people really want to live in, homes that make good financial sense for builders.
To reach that goal, we're taking a "whole house systems approach" to research. We'll be looking at each component of the home and how they can work together to use far less energy than standard homes today. On our path toward zero energy homes, we will first research and identify the business models, building practices, and technologies that will help homebuilders successfully and profitably build homes that use 50% less energy. We will also reach out to consumers and educate them on the features and benefits of these homes, developing greater market awareness and increasing demand.
The innovation pathway. Research. Demonstrate. Share. And throughout each step, test and measure everything. The pursuit of Best Practices is a constant cycle of discovery. From researching new technologies, new building materials, new construction techniques, and new process management strategies to building research homes, prototype test homes, and communities. And from stringently evaluating systems performance to appropriately sharing relevant information, knowledge, and wisdom delivered from our efforts - this is the work of the Alliance.