Indoor Mr Quality (IAQ) Indoor airPLUS: Building Safer and Healthier Homes 2018 EPA Indoor airPLUS Leader Award 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 2018 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 Eligibility: To be considered eligible for the award, a builder must: Have built at least three (3) Indoor airPLUS qualified homes in the previous year (2017). Be in good standing as an Indoor airPLUS partner and with EPA regarding compliance with all applicable regulations. Submit a valid, completed application for the award, Page 1 of 11 ------- 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 Best Home Showcase submittal. New this year: We're looking for your best 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 Best Home Form at the end of this application, and for more details, please reference the Criteria Details section. We're also encouraging short video submissions to highlight your work! See below. 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 29,2018. 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 31, 2018. NEW THIS YEAR: The Indoor airPLUS Leader Awards will be publicly announced in September 2018 and will be formally presented at the EEBA High Performance Home Summit, October 16-18, 2018 in San Diego, California. We will also be presenting a new award this yearthe Indoor airPLUS Leader of the Year Awardto 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 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! EEBA will also be offering reduced registration fees for Leader Award Winners. Contact Indoor airPLUStcb.epa.gov for more information. Page 2 of 11 ------- 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 2017 (total volume constructed): Number of Indoor airPLUS qualified homes built and verified in 2017: Note: For Corporate Builder applications, include the total volume constructed and total number of labeled homes for all eligible Indoor airPLUS builder partner divisions. Eligible divisions must each have individual Indoor airPLUS partnerships and must each have built a minimum of 3 Indoor airPLUS homes in 2017. 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. Page 3 of 11 ------- Scoring Criteria: EPA recognizes that small and large builders have different approaches to marketing and promotion. As such, applications submitted for the 2018 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award will be scored based upon the following criteria. Criteria Points By Category Small Builder (<30 homes1) Max Pts Large Builder (£30 homes1) Max Pts Corporate Builder (multiple divisions2) Max Pts Percentage of total volume constructed that are Indoor airPLUS qualified (average per division for Corporate Builder) 0-5% = 2 6-25% = 5 26-74%= 10 75-99%= 15 100% = 20 20 0-5% = 5 6-25%= 10 26-74% = 20 75-99% = 25 100% = 30 30 0-5% = 5 6-25%= 10 26-74% = 20 75-99% = 25 100% = 30 30 Indoor airPLUS web presence (website, social media) 20 15 15 Examples of Indoor airPLUS in marketing, education, and outreach 20 15 15 Review of narrative questions 10 10 10 Homeowner testimonials (5 pts/each, up to two. Attach examples.) 10 10 10 Best Indoor airPLUS Home Showcase 20 20 20 BONUS: Video Submission 10 10 10 Total (110 possible w/ bonus) 100 100 100 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. 1 Refers to the total volume of homes (not just IAP labeled homes) constructed annually by the partner. 2 Corporate builders must have two or more eligible Indoor airPLUS partner divisions at the time of application to apply jn the Corporate category. In this category, the "percentage of total volume constructed" applies only to the eligible Indoor airPLUS partner divisions. Page 4 of 11 ------- Examples of Indoor airPLUS in marketing, education, and outreach o The applicant utilizes the Indoor airPLUS label as a marketing tool to promote healthier homes to consumers. ¦ Marketing 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), in-model displays, videos, trade show promotion, or lAP-themed community events; Collaterals, fact sheets, case studies, testimonials, or other materials explaining the benefits of an Indoor airPLUS home to the resident. ¦ NOTE: Please describe and upload marketing examples that have been utilized by your company only within the last 12 months. o Builder provides training activities for construction staff, trade contractors, real estate agents, or other stakeholders on best practices for design, construction, and implementation of Indoor airPLUS features. o Builder provides homeowner 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. 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 as many testimonials as you like, and you can earn up to 10 points total for up to two testimonials. If you submit a video with a homeowner testimonial, it will be scored in the section for "BONUS: Video Submission". If multiple videos are submitted, they can contribute to criteria for homeowner testimonials. Best Indoor airPLUS Home Response o Select your "Best Indoor airPLUS Home" constructed since January 1st 2017 and provide details per the submission form at the end of this document. These details and images will be used to create featured profiles of the winners. Any home verified between 1/1/17 and the date of application is eligible for submittal. o Provide at minimum 6 high resolution images including 2 elevations, 2 under construction images, and 2 finished interiors, with each one clearly titled or captioned to describe the image. 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 or trades about this home, marketing 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 Best Indoor airPLUS Home. Page 5 of 11 ------- 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; ¦ How you are coordinating with your Indoor airPLUS Verifier and design team to offer an exceptionally healthy and safe home for your homebuyers. o Please do not submit content that is largely self-promotional. Applicants can use their name, company, 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 Marketing Examples, 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. Page 6 of 11 ------- Narrative Questions: 1. Sales and Marketing are two important and distinct components to promoting your business. Please describe how you sell and market the Indoor airPLUS Program and how you educate homebuyers on indoor air quality, health, and safety. Provide specific examples of your marketing materials and sales approaches, including their reach and impact. (Please upload examples in your online folder provided by EPA following receipt of your application.) 2. The Indoor airPLUS Leader Award recognizes partners that champion the program and also provide healthier living environments to their homebuyers while differentiating themselves in the homebuilding market. Why does your organization deserve to be recognized as a 2018 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award recipient? Page 7 of 11 ------- 3. a) Has your organization made the Indoor airPLUS 100% Commitment for 2018, intending to label all of your homes this year? DYES ~ NO *Note--the 100% Commitment is not a requirement to be awarded the 2018 Leader Award. b) If yes, how have you leveraged this new designation? c) If no, what details are you considering or barriers are you encountering in building all your homes to Indoor airPLUS? 4. 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 use this space to describe your process for collecting testimonials and any other insights you are receiving from homeowners. Page 8 of 11 ------- Best Indoor airPLUS Home Showcase Submission Form Per the criteria listed above, please provide information for one home constructed since January 1st, 2017 that you are entering as your "Best Indoor airPLUS Home." Any home verified between 1/1/17 and the date of application is eligible. Please provide at minimum 6 high resolution images of your "Best Indoor airPLUS Home" submission including 2 elevations, 2 under construction images, and 2 finished interior images. Additional images are welcome and will contribute to featured profiles of the winners. Home Overview: Home Location (address or city/state/community): Home Size (sq.ft): Other Building Labels and Certifications Achieved: HERS Score: Climate Zone: Indoor airPLUS Verifier: Radon Zone: Construction & Indoor Air Quality Features: Foundation Type (select all that apply): ~ Slab on Grade ~ Conditioned Crawl Space ~ Conditioned Basement Attic Details: Attic Type: Attic Insulation Type and R-value: Construction of Primary Wall Assembly (Interior-to-Exterior description and R-value): Additional Air Sealing Measures: Radon System: ~ PASSIVE ~ ACTIVE ~ N/A Conducted Radon Test: ~ YES ~ NO (note: Radon testing is not required for Indoor airPLUS) Page 9 of 11 ------- HVAC Details: HVAC Type: Location of HVAC: Fuel Type: Duct Type: AFUE: Sealing Measures:. SEER: Filter Dimensions, MERV Rating & Location: Dehumidification Strategy (if applicable): Ventilation Strategy: Type: Filter (if applicable): Combustion Appliances in the Home: Furnace: ~ Naturally drafted ~ Direct Vented ~ Other ~ N/A Other Combustion Appliances and Venting Methods: Timers/Schedule: Water Heater: ~ Naturally drafted ~ Direct Vented ~ Other Low Emission Products: Please list the standards and/or certifications met for composite wood, paint, and carpet products, at minimum. Additionally, use this space to describe any other low-emission products utilized in the home, even if they are not specifically required by Indoor airPLUS. Renewable Technologies: Connected/Smart Technology: Page 10 of 11 ------- Please use the space provided below to highlight any additional construction features or notes about the items above that contributed to the improved indoor air quality, comfort, durability, or overall performance of this home. J Page 11 of 11 ------- |