EPA 402/B-20/009
Indoor Air Quality (LAO)
Indoor airPLUS:
Building Safer and Healthier Homes
2020 EPA Indoor airPLUS Leader Award
Affordable Builder Application
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Overview:
The Indoor airPLUS Leader Awards were created to recognize outstanding Indoor airPLUS Program partners
who construct and verify Indoor airPLUS homes, designed and built for improved indoor air quality. This annual
award acknowledges market leading builders and raters that promote the benefits of enhanced indoor air quality
protections and educate consumers on the value of safer, healthier, and more comfortable homes with the
Indoor airPLUS label
Benefits;
As an Indoor airPLUS Leader Award recipient your organization receives the following benefits:
Customized Leader Award marketing collateral;
2020 Leader Award Winner logos and banner;
Award, presented at ceremony hosted at the EEBA High Performance Home Summit;
Recognition and web linking on the EPA website;
Email and social media promotion; and
Opportunity to earn EPA's Indoor airPLUS Leader of the Award {awarded to just one builder and
rater).
Eligibility:
To be considered eligible forthe award, a builder must:
Be an affordable builder as defined below:
o Builders of income-eligible housing typically designated for lower-income households whose
construction is publicly subsidized by federal, state, or local housing agencies, usually via
grants, loans, tax credits, and/or tax-exempt bonds.
Have built at least three (3) Indoor airPLUS qualified homes in the previous calendar year (2019).
Be in good standing as an Indoor airPLUS partner and with EPA regarding compliance with all
applicable regulations.
Submit a valid, complete application for the award.
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What you need to submit:
Complete all fields below. Responses to each narrative question must be typed. Supplemental materials
such as photos, images, or illustrative examples are strongly encouraged, and some are required for the
IndoorairPLUS Showcase submittal.
We're looking for your favorite Indoor airPLUS home. This section is designed to allow our partners the
opportunity to showcase the home they are most proud of and all the features contributing to the health
and safety of the home. Please see the Showcase Form at the end of this application and, for more
details, please reference the Criteria Details. We're also encouraging short video submissions to
highlight your work! See below for more details.
When finished, submit via email to Indoor airPLUS@epa.gov. Once you have submitted the completed
application, the Indoor airPLUS Program will provide a link to your own online folder where you will be
able to easily submit all supplemental materials.
When you need to submit:
Applications are due by 8 pm EDT, June 10,2020.
What to expect after you submit:
Confirmation of Receipt: A confirmation email will be sent to the email address listed in your
application within 2 business days of its submission and will contain further instructions on how to
access and submit all supplemental materials via your online folder. If you do not receive confirmation
within this timeframe, please contact Indoor airPLUS@epa.gov.
Notification: You will be notified of the status of your application by July 24,2020.
Ceremony Details: The Indoor airPLUS Leader Awards will be publicly announced on or before August 11,2020
and will be formally presented at the EEBA High Performance Home Summit. September 29 - October 1,2020 in
Denver, Colorado.
All Indoor airPLUS Leader Award recipients will have the opportunity to receive their award onstage. EPA will
also be presenting the Indoor airPLUS Leader of the Year Award to just one outstanding builder and rater
partner, selected from the pool of Leader Award winners. The builder winner may be selected from 5/7/of the
builder categories. The winning builder and rater will be chosen based on their achievements with Indoor
airPLUS in the previous year, showcased by the quality of their Leader Award application. These two Leader of
the Year winners will be announced in-person during the award ceremony at the EEBA Summit.
This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your great work at a nationally recognized conference for high
performance building!
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Required Information:
Organization Name:
Contact Name:
Phone Number: Email Address:
Physical Address (for award distribution for winners not attending the EEBA ceremony):
Company Website:
Company Social Media Pages:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Other:
Number of homes built in 2019 (total volume constructed):
Number of Indoor airPLUS qualified homes built and verified in 2019:
Commitment to Continued Participation:
~ By checking this box, you acknowledge your intention to remain actively involved in the construction of at
least one Indoor airPLUS home in the next 12 months.
Scoring Criteria:
Applications submitted for the 2020 Indoor airPLUS Award will be scored based upon the following criteria.
Criteria
Affordable Builder
Maximum Points
Percentage of total volume constructed that are Indoor airPLUS
qualified.
0-5% = 2
6-25% = 5
26-74% = 10
75-99% = 15
100% = 20
20
Indoor airPLUS web presence (website, social media)
10
Use of Indoor airPLUS in promotion, education, and outreach
10
Review of Narrative Questions
30
Homeowner Testimonials (up to two, 10pts/each. Attach
examples.)
20
Best Indoor airPLUS Home Showcase
10
BONUS: Video Submission
10
Total (110 possible w/ bonus)
100
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Criteria Details:
Percentage of total volume constructed
o Builders are strongly encouraged to offer Indoor airPLUS as a standard across all of their homes,
streamlining their construction process and simplifying the message to the consumer. Maximum points
are awarded only for 100% participation. See breakdown of point structure in scoring criteria table
above.
Indoor airPLUS web presence
o A strong web presence includes:
¦ The Indoor airPLUS logo featured prominently on the company website as an indicator of
partnership;
¦ A description of the program features and benefits;
¦ Links to applicable and current Indoor airPLUS web pages;
¦ Social media activity including original posts/tweets about Indoor airPLUS homes being
constructed, verified, or recently occupied, and re-posts/re-tweets/likes of Indoor airPLUS social
media content;
¦ Homeowner testimonials and/or videos about their experience in Indoor airPLUS homes.
o Partner uses IAP program participation to demonstrate the importance of IAQ in affordable housing.
Examples of Indoor airPLUS in promotion, education, and outreach
o Affordable builder actively promotes their IAP partnership with clients, staff, and industry partners and
makes a concerted effort to raise awareness of the importance of IAQ through participation in the Indoor
airPLUS program.
o Promotional and educational examples can include:
¦ Traditional Advertising such as radio, TV, print, direct mail, homeowner newsletters, or
billboards/transit signage;
¦ Onsite Promotions such as outdoor signage (yard signs, flags, banners), displays at home
openings/dedications, videos, trade show promotion, or lAP-themed community events;
¦ Collaterals, fact sheets, case studies, testimonials, or other materials provided to residents, staff,
or volunteers explaining the benefits of an Indoor airPLUS home.
¦ NOTE: Please describe and upload promotional examples that have been utilized by your
organization only since the last award cycle.
o Affordable builder provides training activities for construction staff, trade contractors, community
members, or other stakeholders on best practices for design, construction, and implementation of Indoor
airPLUS features.
o Affordable builder provides homeowner or tenant educational material focusing on the importance of
indoor air quality, the Indoor airPLUS features included in their home, and strategies for long-term
maintenance.
Review of narrative questions
o Please respond to the Narrative Questions in the text boxes below, fully addressing each part of the
question. If desired, please provide any supplemental materials to your answers in your online folder
referenced above.
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Homeowner testimonials
o Please provide examples of one or more testimonials from homeowners describing their experience
living in an Indoor airPLUS labeled home. Examples of content might include: noticeably improved air
quality, reduction in health issues, and/or overall satisfaction with durability and construction quality of
home. Please also explain your process for collecting testimonials (e.g. email, homeowner evaluation,
follow-up questions upon closing, social media posts, etc.).
o Note: You may submit homeowner testimonials in the "BONUS: Video Submissions" section and they will
be scored with both sections.
Showcase Submission Form Response
o Selectyour favorite "Indoor airPLUS Showcase Home" completed since January 1st, 2019 and provide
details per the submission form at the end of this document. Any home verified between 1/1/19 and the
date of application is eligible for submittal. These details and images from the applicant will be used
to create featured profiles of the winners.
o Provide at minimum 4 high resolution images. Example images can include Indoor airPLUS qualified
homes (under construction or finished), marketing and sales materials, trainings (internal and external),
and/or presentations at conferences,
o If desired, please provide any supplemental materials in your online folder referenced above. Examples
include: a homeowner information packet, letters of recommendation from rater and trades about this
home, promotion specific to this home, IAQ testing or monitoring results, or energy modeling and/or
monitoring results. We encourage you to provide as many photos and as much information as you
can about your favorite Indoor airPLUS home.
Video Submission (Bonus, but strongly encouraged)
o 10 bonus points are possible for applicants who provide a video submission,
o Examples of video content include, but are not limited to:
¦ Testimonial from a company representative discussing Indoor airPLUS and how it has benefited
the business;
¦ A short tour of a home;
¦ Indoor airPLUS focused homeowner testimonial;
¦ Howyou are coordinating with your Indoor airPLUS Verifier and design team to offer an
exceptionally healthy and safe home for your homebuyers.
o Please do notsubmit content that is largely self-promotional. Applicants can use their name,
organization, and logo in the video, but they should also highlight the indoor air quality features of their
homes or benefits to homeowners and insights they've learned as an Indoor airPLUS partner and/or
homeowner. More traditional video "advertisements" are also welcome but will be considered under the
criteria for Promotion/Education/Outreach,
o Builder and rater partners are permitted to submit a video together for separate applications in their
respective categories, but each partner's substantive contribution should be readily apparent to the
viewer. Joint videos should be noted in the application,
o The video submission is optional for Leader Award achievement: however, applicants are strongly
encouraged to submit a video to receive top recognition from EPA.
o Please utilize your online folder provided by EPA to upload your video submission.
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Narrative Questions:
1. Describe the Indoor airPLUS promotion/outreach efforts you made in the lastyear. This may include web-
based promotion or other broad outreach (not client-specific) surrounding healthier homes and Indoor
airPLUS. Provide specific examples of your efforts, including their reach and impact. (Please upload
examples in your online folder pro vided by EPA following receipt of your application.)
2. Educating homeowners on all the features of the home and the importance of routine maintenance to help
improve indoor air quality can be challenging. Please describe any efforts you've made to educate your
clients on the Indoor airPLUS Program and the IAQ improvements thatyou have implemented, and please
provide images or examples of manuals or training material you have utilized to encourage long-term
maintenance.
3. The Indoor airPLUS Leader Award showcases affordable builder partners that provide a superior product to
their residents. Why does your organization deserve to be recognized as a 2020 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award
recipient?
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4. a) Has your organization made the Indoor airPLUS 100% Commitment for 2020, intending to label all of your
homes this year? DYES ~ NO
*Note-the 100% Commitment is not a requirement to be awarded the 2020 Leader Award.
b) If yes, how have you leveraged this designation?
c) If no, what details are you considering or barriers are you encountering in building all your homes to Indoor
airPLUS?
5. What additional recommendations do you have for EPA? Are there any additional resources, tools, or
mechanisms that would help increase Indoor airPLUS participation with affordable housing builders
generally, or any program refinements or improvements that EPA might consider to improve health
protections?
6. Homeowner Testimonial: To earn points for Homeowner Testimonials please attach up to two (2) testimonials
in a supplemental document or paste text in the box below. Please attribute the quote to the homeowner(s)
and provide any other insights you are receiving from homeowners. Please limit testimonials to those
captured since the last award cycle.
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Showcase Submission Form
EPA 402/B-20/009
To promote the Leader Award Winners, posters will be drafted and publicly displayed throughout the 2020 EEBA
Summit. Please provide at minimum 4 high resolution images. This form is required by all applicants, including
Repeat Award Winners. These details and images will be used to create featured profiles of the winners.
Examples of images can include but are not limited to:
Indoor airPLUS qualified homes;
o Elevation;
o Under construction interior/exterior;
o Finished interior/exterior;
Marketing and sales materials;
Internal/external trainings; and
Presentations at conferences.
Per the criteria listed above, please provide information for one home constructed since January 1st, 2019 that
you are entering as your "Best Indoor airPLUS Home." Any home verified between 1/1/19 and the date of
application is eligible.
Home Overview:
Home Location (address or city/state/community):
Home Size (sq.ft): Other Building Labels and Certifications Achieved:
Best Indoor airPLUS Home
HERS Score:
Climate Zone:
Indoor airPLUS Verifier(s):
Radon Zone:
Radon System: I" PASSIVE ACTIVE N/A
Conducted Radon Test: YES NO
(note: Radon testing is not required for Indoor air PL US)
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Construction & Indoor Air Quality Features:
EPA 402/B-20/009
Provide brief descriptions (1 -2 sentences) of your "Best Indoor airPLUS Home" for each of the following
categories. Suggestions on what to provide have been included in parenthesis, but you are not limited to those
suggestions.
Walls (Describe construction of primary wall assembly including interior-to-exterior materials and estimated R-
value):
Attic Details (Describe attic type, insulation type, and R-value):
Air Sealing Measures (Describe key air sealing techniques, materials used, and final air change rate):
Heating/Cooling (Describe HAC system type and fuel; AFUE; SEER; duct type; location of air handler(s); filter
locations, dimensions, and MERV Rating):
Ventilation Strategy-Whole Dwelling (Describe overall strategy (e.g., balanced, central supply, integrated
supply/exhaust, exhaust-only, etc.), equipment type, and location):
Ventilation Strategy - Local Exhaust (Describe exhaust fan features and controls for bathrooms, kitchens):
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Low Emission Products:
At minimum, please list the 3rd-party standards and/or certifications met for the following materials used in the
home: 1) composite wood used for trim and cabinets, 2) paints/finishes, 3) carpet products, 4)
adhesives/sealants, and 5) hard surface flooring. (Noteitems 4 and 5 not yet required). Additionally, use this
space to describe any ofAerlow-emission or contaminant control products utilized in the home, even if they are
not specifically required or recommended by Indoor airPLUS.
Renewable or Smart Technology:
Other:
Please use the space provided below to highlight any marketing and sales efforts related to this specific home, as
well as any additional construction features that contributed to the improved indoor air quality, comfort,
durability, or overall performance of this home.
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