At Veridian, we don’t just build homes. We build homes that boast award-winning energy efficiency. Homes thoroughly tested for a lifetime of lower environmental impact and higher performance. As a result, we’re honored to receive the 2023 Focus on Energy Trade Ally Contractor Excellence Award.
It all started in 1999, when we embraced energy efficient building practices knowing that we would be shaping the future of the communities in which we build, for the better.
“We have really embraced, for many years now, the Focus on Energy program. For us, it has become, really, a way of life,” David Simon, President & Owner of Veridian Homes said during the award presentation that took place in our Design Studio.
David Simon took a chance by implementing energy efficient building practices 24 years ago, and it paid off. Veridian Homes has grown into Wisconsin’s leading homebuilder. Each year, we construct 25% of the homes that are Certified Focus on Energy New Homes.
“Part of my job, and obviously Focus on Energy, is to transform the marketplace,” Andy Kutz, Focus on Energy New Home Program Manager said. “In order to do that, someone’s got to lead the way.”
In 1999, the State of Wisconsin tested an energy efficiency pilot program called “Focus on Energy.” Veridian Homes didn’t hesitate to become one of the first Trade Ally Contractors. “It did expand and really push our specifications, our standards, our industry outside of our comfort zone,” explained Simon.
And we began creating communities where some homeowners were paying less for electricity, getting year-round comfort and their neighbors had no idea or didn’t believe it. The hardest part is making sure consumers get the right information about new, energy-efficient technologies. Right now, there is a lot of confusion about heat pump water heaters, so we decided in 2021 to do what we have done for more than two decades, test the technology.
“There’s so much misinformation out there in the marketplace,” said Kutz. “I give Veridian a lot of credit because they did their own due diligence. They put a heat pump water heater in one of their standard homes. The other home had a natural gas power vented water heater. They ran tests to convince and dispel some of the other information.”
Focus on Energy saw heat pump water heater rebate requests jump from 10% in 2021 to 40% in 2022 after Veridian Homes adopted yet another new technology.
“We are really celebrating this year’s winners for really focusing on this,” Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez said when awarding Simon the Trade Ally Energy Efficiency Excellence Award. “They support technology, innovation, job creation, and those lowered environmental impacts.”
A lot of homebuilders strive for energy efficiency, but few have mastered it. At Veridian, it’s our mission to respect the planet in everything we do, which is why our homes meet the highest standards of energy efficiency and combustion safety, as well as comfort and durability. It’s also why our homes undergo rigorous third-party testing to ensure a lifetime of minimal environmental impact. And finally, it’s why we’re constantly pushing ourselves to be stewards of a healthier and cleaner world.
