Indoor airPLUS: Building Safer and Healthier Homes Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) 2022 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 (IAQ). This annual award acknowledges market leading builders and raters that promote the benefits of IAQ 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 recipientyour organization receives the following benefits: • Customized Leader Award marketing collateral; • 2022 Leader Award Winner 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 Year Award[a\Nartie& to just one builder and rater). Eligibility: To be considered eligible for the 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 one (1) Indoor airPLUS labeled home in the previous calendar year (2021). • 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. Note, only one organization will be awarded per application. If your organization worked collaboratively with another Indoor airPLUS partner on a project or development and each organization wishes to be recognized as Award Winners (e.g., both a builder and developer partner working on a project together), each organization needs to submit unique applications. EPA402/B22/001 Page 1 of 12 ------- What you need to submit: • Complete all fields below. Responses to each narrative question must be typed. • Submit at minimum 6 media assets with descriptions to be included in featured profiles of the winners. Assets can include photos of Indoor airPLUS labeled homes (under construction or finished), marketing and sales materials, trainings (internal and external), and/or presentations at conferences. Supplemental materials such as additional photos or illustrative examples are strongly encouraged. See the Media Submission Form at the end of this application for more details. • When finished, submit via email to Indoor airPLUS@epa.aov. Once you have submitted the completed application, the Indoor airPLUS Program will provide a linkto your own online folder where you will be able to easily submit all supplemental and bonus materials. When you need to submit: • Applications are due by 8 pm EDT, June 3,2022. 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 August 12,2022. Ceremony Details: The Indoor airPLUS Leader Awards will be publicly announced on or before August 15,2022 and will be formally presented during the EEBA High Performance Home Summit. September 20-22,2022. 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 any 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 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! We strongly encourage you to review the Indoor airPLUS 2022 Leader Awards scoring criteria, located in the Appendix, prior to completing your application. EPA 402/B22/001 Page 2 of 12 ------- Required Information: Organization Name: Contact Name: Phone Number: Email Address: Physical Address (for award distribution): Company Website: Company Social Media Pages: Facebook: Twitter: Other: Number of homes built in 2021 (total volume constructed): Number of Indoor airPLUS labeled homes built and verified in 2021: Number of Indoor airPLUS labeled homes built and verified in 2021 that qualify as affordable housing: 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. EPA402/B22/001 Page 3 of 12 ------- Narrative Questions: 1. Describe the efforts you've made in the last year to promote IAQ to your clients and constituents. 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. Describe, if any, efforts you've made in the last year to promote the further adoption of I AQ improvements and/orthe Indoor airPLUS Program in affordable housing throughoutyour local community, including your state and local jurisdictions. EPA 402/B22/001 Page 4 of 12 ------- 3. a) Has your organization made the Indoor airPLUS 100% Commitment for 2022, intending to label all of your homes this year? OYES ONO *Note-the 100% Commitment is not a requirement to be awarded the 2022 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? Are there specific IAQ features that you have considered that are currently cost prohibitive for you to implement in your affordable housing offerings? 4. Improved IAQ is particularly important for occupants of affordable housing. How can EPA help your efforts in bringing improved IAQ to your homes and occupants? Are there any resources, tools, or program refinements that would help increase adoption of the Indoor airPLUS Program in the affordable housing sector? EPA402/B22/001 Page 5 of 12 ------- 5. 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) (first name and last initial are sufficient) and provide any other insights you are receiving from homeowners. If testimonials are used for educational or promotional purposes, EPA will abbreviate or anonymize testimonials at the partner's request. EPA402/B22/001 Page 6 of 12 ------- Media Submission Form This form is required by all applicants, including Repeat Award Recipients. Please provide at minimum 6 media assets, including both technical (3) and marketing (3) assets. Supplemental materials such as additional photos or illustrative examples are strongly encouraged. These details and images will be used to create featured profiles of the winners. This is your opportunity to showcase the ways your organization meets the Indoor airPLUS standard through innovative construction techniques, attention to detail, and commitment to IAQ. Examples of technical images can be, but are not limited to, the following ideas: • 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) Examples of marketing assets can include marketing and sales materials, trainings (internal and external), and/or presentations at conferences. See the Scoring Criteria section for further examples on marketing and outreach. ^Required Asset 1 - File Name: Description of asset/feature(s) shown in image: ^Required Asset 2 - File Name: Description of asset/feature(s) shown in image: ^Required Asset 3 - File Name: Description of asset/feature(s) shown in image: ^Required Asset 4 — File Name: Description of asset/feature(s) shown in image: EPA 402/B22/001 Page 7 of 12 ------- ^Required Asset 5 - File Name: Description of asset/feature(s) shown in image: ^Required Asset 6 - File Name: Description of asset/feature(s) shown in image: Optional Asset 7 - File Name: Description of asset/feature(s) shown in image: Optional Asset 8 - File Name: Description of asset/feature(s) shown in image: Optional Asset 9 - File Name: Description of asset/feature(s) shown in image: Optional Asset 10- File Name: Description of asset/feature(s) shown in image: EPA402/B22/001 Page 8 of 12 ------- Appendix i. Scoring Matrix Scoring Criteria: Applications submitted for the 2021 Indoor airPLUS Award will be scored based upon the following criteria. Criteria Affordable Builder Max Points Percentage of total volume constructed that are Indoor airPLUS labeled. 0-5% = 2 6-25% = 4 26-74% = 6 75-99% = 8 100% = 10 10 Indoor airPLUS web presence (website, social media) 15 Approach to Indoor airPLUS in promotion, education, and outreach 15 Review of Narrative Questions 20 Homeowner Testimonials (up to two, 10pts/each. Attach examples.) 20 Indoor airPLUS Media Submission 20 BONUS 10 Total (110 possible w/ bonus) 100 EPA402/B22/001 Page 9 of 12 ------- ii. Scoring Criteria Criteria Details: Below are additional details describing how EPA will be reviewing and scoring these applications. Percentage of total volume constructed • 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 matrix above. Indoor airPLUS web presence • Website - A strong web presence can include but is not limited to the following: o The Indoor airPLUS logo featured on the company website as an indicator of partnership; o A description of the Indoor airPLUS program features and benefits; o Link(s) to Indoor airPLUS web page(s); o Homeowner testimonials and/or videos about their experience in Indoor airPLUS homes; o A page dedicated to Indoor airPLUS and/or healthy homes and IAQ; o Indoor airPLUS videos, publications, and other applicable media; o Original material created by the organization to showcase Indoor airPLUS homes, such as a photo gallery, educational materials, and videos; and o Relevant keyword tags for improved search engine optimization (SEO). • Social Media - Builders are strongly encourage to follow and interact with Indoor airPLUS social media accounts (Twitter and Facebook). and to post their own Indoor airPLUS content regularly. Applicants will be scored on: o The number of posts related to Indoor airPLUS and/or healthy homes and IAQ; o The distribution of their posts across the calendar year - builders who post related content evenly throughout the year will be scored higher; o Posts that include content specific to Indoor airPLUS. not just IAQ. For example, a post that says "Per the Indoor airPLUS specifications, all of our homes are built with HVAC systems that are equipped to handle MERV 13 filtration" would score higher than one that says "All of our homes are built with HVAC systems that are equipped to handle MERV 13 filtration."; and o Interactions with the Indoor airPLUS social media accounts: a higher number of likes, comments, shares, and retweets will positively impact your score. Examples of Indoor airPLUS in promotion, education, and outreach • 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. • Promotional and educational examples can include: o Traditional Advertising such as radio, TV, print, direct mail, newsletters, or billboards/transit signage; EPA 402/B22/001 Page 10 of 12 ------- o Onsite Promotions such as outdoor signage (yard signs, flags, banners), displays at home openings/dedications, videos, trade show promotion, or Indoor airPLUS-themed community events; and o Collaterals, fact sheets, case studies, testimonials, or other materials provided to residents, staff, or volunteers explaining the benefits of an Indoor airPLUS home, o NOTE: Please describe and upload promotional examples that have been utilized by your organization only since the last award cycle. • 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. For example: o Encouraging staff to attend external training programs and conferences relating to healthy homes and IAQ; o Holding in-house training or educational sessions for staff to learn more about building for IAQ; and o Encouraging staff to register for, view, and actively participate in Indoor airPLUS-hosted • Affordable builder provides educational material focusing on the importance of IAQ, the Indoor airPLUS features included in their home, and strategies for long-term maintenance. For Example: o Use of the "Breathe Easy In Your New Indoor airPLUS Home" or "Discover Indoor airPLUS Homes" co-brandable resources; o Educational events, such as presentations, community films, or gatherings with the goal of educating about Indoor airPLUS and IAQ; o Resources regarding home maintenance and upkeep to help maintain improved IAQ; o Original material created by the builder to educate on IAQ and/orthe Indoor airPLUS program; and o Outside material used by the builder to educate on IAQ and/or the Indoor airPLUS program. Review of narrative questions • Respond to the Narrative Questions in the text boxes provided above, fully addressing each part of the question. Please provide any supplemental materials to your answers in your online folder referenced above. Homeowner testimonials • Please provide examples of one or more testimonials 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.). EPA402/B22/001 Page 11 of 12 webinars. ------- Media Submission Form Response • This form is required by all applicants, including Repeat Award Recipients. • Provide at minimum 6 media assets, including both technical (3) and marketing (3) assets. Supplemental materials such as additional photos or illustrative examples are strongly encouraged. • The technical images can be from the same or multiple homes. Images that specifically showcase Indoor airPLUS related features or construction specifications are preferred. • Marketing assets can include marketing and sales materials, trainings (internal and external), and/or presentations at conference. See the preceding sections for further examples. • Use the space provided on the form to provide any relevant context for each image. It does not need to be overly detailed but sufficient to clearly understand the reason it was submitted. Bonus Materials (MAX 10 extra points) • Did we miss something you'd like us to consider? Applicants are encouraged to submit additional examples and materials they would like us to consider towards their score, along with a brief justification for the additional submission, if necessary. • Please provide any supplemental materials in your online folder. Examples of bonus materials include, but are not limited to: o Information or promotional video related to Indoor airPLUS; o Information packets for your Indoor airPLUS homes; o Letters of recommendation from rater or trades about your Indoor airPLUS homes; o IAQ testing or monitoring results; and o Energy modeling and/or monitoring results. EPA402/B22/001 Page 12 of 12 ------- |