How are Leading Zero Energy Ready Home Builders Addressing the Labor Shortage?

Usher trains on the job site, provides visual scopes of work, and educates his team on their approach to building. He reviews critical aspects of ZERH construction including air sealing, water management, indoor air quality, and other features that improve homes’ design, health, quality, and energy efficiency. In addition to training the trades, Addison Homes is committed to educating the next generation of homebuilders through their involvement with Greenville Technical College and Clemson University. Every class pursuing a certification in indoor environmentalism at Greenville Tech completes an on-site visit to one of Addison's homes under construction as an example of best practices related to building science and air quality.

Addison Homes uses offsite manufactured components as an additional approach to the labor shortage. Using engineered roof trusses, floor trusses, and precast concrete basement walls simplifies and speeds installation. Usher finds that the manufactured components provide superior quality and equal costs compared to commonly used construction methods when labor is considered.

Framing and insulating new homes requires a plethora of skilled labor. Innovative building systems can reduce that need.

• Winning partners like Beazer Homes in Ellicott City, Maryland, use panelized or modular construction to reduce on-site installation costs.
• Charis Homes in Dover, Ohio, uses insulated concrete forms that integrate the structure and insulation of their walls. This method increases the resilience and efficiency of the home while reducing the need for contractors.
• Clifton View Homes in Coupeville, Washington, uses structural insulated panels that integrate framing and insulation. They are manufactured off-site and craned into the job site.
• Deltec Homes, Inc., a Certified B Corp headquartered in North Carolina, builds their homes in factories. Deltec’s 2024 winning home was a panelized shell kit that the owner-builder assembled.

Aebi believes that to facilitate positive industry momentum, there needs to be more entry-level, diverse workers who are eager to learn from past mistakes and keep improving building practices. Aebi works in partnership with Ulster County to hire interns from the local community and provide them with training and experience in construction. This innovative internship program, which Zero Net Now helped create and launch, focuses on increasing participation in the trades by entry-level people. They also have a working group dedicated to introducing women into the field. In addition to being involved in the Ulster County internship program, Zero Net Now works closely with the Ulster Board of Cooperative Educational Services to advance their training on high-performance construction.

Another example of training the next generation is Providence Homes in Jacksonville, Florida. They have partnered with the University of North Florida to offer internship programs for juniors and seniors in their construction management program. During the internship, students work part-time on job sites, shadowing Providence Homes’ construction superintendents and learning how they build their homes. Providence Homes finds that “Most students are attracted to our company because of our leadership in energy efficient, sustainable home building, and they’re eager to learn about our building processes.”