Welcome Back! We would like to welcome both Kristi Fry-Jewett and Austin Fleet! Kristi, Builder Energy Rater’s Operations Administrator, has been working remotely in Arizona for the past year and a half and we are glad to say that she is now back in Texas and in the office with us! Austin Fleet, our Sales […]

HBA Austin Mid-Year Housing Forecast by HBA Austin Tim Sullivan of Meyers Research, a Kennedy Wilson Company, presented his analysis of the Greater Austin housing market, concluding that the region is still trending upward in the market cycle. Solid job growth, particularly higher paying salary jobs, will continue to put pressure on affordability with prices […]

What’s In Your Walls? Net-Zero Homes Starts with Better Insulation by cellulose.org The concept of Net-Zero Energy homes appears to be moving forward toward main stream. California is leading the nation with a goal of having all new homes constructed by 2020 achieving net-zero under its Residential ZNE Plan. Builders and homeowners in other areas around the country […]

Oh Sweet Retirement Retirement is just around the corner for Ross Bacon! After owning the company for over 10  years, he will soon be filling his days with playing golf! His leadership and vision are a few things that made Ross a great boss, but his integrity, respect, and compassion are what makes him a great […]

A home building company recently contacted CIMA. They were considering changing standard features to include cellulose insulation in an effort to offer greener, more energy-efficient homes. But they had heard cellulose insulation settles and wanted to know how this affected the product.Let’s settle this old myth that has been rebuffed by research and experience over […]

Wise Words This month we celebrate Easter. I am sure it means lots of different things to us: a few days off, a new dress, a basket and eggs, time with family, the start of Spring. To Christians it means a horrible Crucifixion and an awesome Resurrection. I guess the choices we make determine the […]

By Justin Koscher, Director, Spray Foam Coalition Fifteen years ago, energy and water efficiency defined what it meant to build green. Over time this definition has expanded, and today’s high performance buildings are measured on a growing list of metrics that include other considerations such as siting requirements, renewable energy, resiliency, and building material selection. And […]

Wise Words He remembers that day as clearly as ever. The leader came in to his office and said “The board loves you dearly, but they want to go in a  different direction. You are not doing anything poorly, but they feel they need a little more dynamism.” His initial reaction was stunned shock. After […]

Wise WordsRecently I was visiting with a new friend and we were talking about issues in life and how we can help others deal with those problems. He reminded me that the first key is VISIBILITY, which leads to CREDIBILITY, which leads to IMPACT. Those three principles can be used in a variety of situations, […]

The Reason for the Season For us adults, Christmas is almost here! For young children, it seems years away. They cannot wait for the day to come! They count the days until the special day. This time of year called Advent is a season of expectant waiting and preparation for celebration of the coming of […]