WCBA Dinner Meeting
w/ Guest Speaker Kevin Hogan from Focus on Energy

WCBA Board Meeting at 3PM
A meeting of the WCBA board of directors will take place immediately prior to the dinner meeting.  The board meeting will begin at 3:00 PM and end at or before 5:00 PM.  Members are invited to attend.

Cocktails at 5 PM, Sponsored by West Bend Electric
Enjoy free drinks before dinner while you socialize with industry peers.

Dinner is served at 6PM
An excellent dinner will be served by the friendly staff of the Little Swiss Chalet.

Feature Presentation at 6:45 PM, Sponsored by: 
This month we will be addressed by Kevin Hogan of Focus on Energy/New Homes Program who will discuss how Focus on Energy’s New Homes Program can help builders in our area offer certified, energy-efficient homes at an affordable price.

How it Works
Education is one of the best ways to motivate builders to utilize energy efficiency and sell more new homes. Focus on Energy makes this easy because our building performance consultants partner with participating builders. The building performance consultant utilizes computer modeling and can evaluate a variety of energy efficiency scenarios (e.g., insulation & air sealing packages, windows, HVAC equipment, and more). This computer modeling also serves to estimate annual energy costs before the home is built. The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services also recognizes this software to allow builders to apply for building permits with the energy calculations it provides.

During the construction of a home, the building performance consultant conducts a minimum of two site visits to verify the home’s performance. We performance test the air tightness of the home and the mechanical ventilation capacity. We also confirm that the home meets all applicable program standards. To date, more than 17,000 new homes in Wisconsin have been certified under Focus on Energy. In fact, even as the residential new construction industry continues to struggle, the number of Focus on Energy certified homes continues to grow.

Cash Rewards for Builders
To provide additional encouragement for builders to participate in the program, four levels of financial incentives are currently available to builders. These incentives are based on the home’s verified energy efficiency as compared to Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code and utility eligibility (Focus on Energy participation).