Page 15 - Builder Brief July 2021

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Drive home the importance of using the kitchen hood vent.
Ensure that your customers
are changing their HVAC filters
regularly.
Like conventional homes, high-performance homes also require changing HVAC filters approximately every three months.
6
Set up alerts with online solar PV production monitor software.
If the home has a solar PV system, set up alerts to flag irregular dips in production to quickly identify any issue the system might be having.
A maintenance checklist incorporating these and other items can help the resident keep track of everything that goes on in their high-performance home.
“We are currently developing a maintenance program that can offer home owners various levels of services, from a year’s worth of filters to full service installation of those products. We hope our buyers will find value in the peace of mind this service delivers,” says Bill Rectanus, vice president of home building operations at Thrive Home Builders.
To stay current on the high-performance residential building sector, with tips on water efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and other building science strategies, follow NAHB’s Sustainability and Green Building efforts on Twitter.
Harmful particulate matter occurs from combustion processes during cooking, which many consumers don’t realize. Encourage your customers to run the hood vent while cooking to vent harmful particulate matter outdoors.
3
Offer cleaning services, or encourage clients to clean filters in the mechanical ventilation system.
High-performance homes may include mechanical ventilation systems such as Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs) or Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRVs). If you don’t have a maintenance program option, it is important to encourage customers to vacuum and wash the filters every few months as recommended by the manufacturer.
4
Inform your customers about heat pump water heater filters.
Provide cleaning services for the heat pump water heater filter, or teach your customers the process and recommend a frequency.
JULY 2021 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION 15
We are curren“tly developing a maintenance program that can offer home
owners various levels of services, from
a year’s worth of filters to full service
installation of those products.
Bill Rectanus, Thrive Home Builders