Take the next step towards healthier homebuilding! Commit to labeling 100% of your homes to Indoor airPLUS!

The Indoor airPLUS Program is pleased to announce the new opportunity for partners to commit to 100% Indoor airPLUS, giving all your homebuyers a safer, healthier, more durable home – and a mark they can trust.

Head over to your My ENERGY STAR Account to select the Indoor airPLUS 100% Commitment designation, and learn more about this and other sales and marketing resources at https://www.epa.gov/…/indoor-airplus-sales-and-marketing-re….

January is National Radon Action Month! You can’t see, smell or taste radon, but it could be present at a dangerous level in your home. Take action in January and learn more at https://www.epa.gov/…/national-radon-action-month-consumer-….

Stuck inside this week? Catch up on the recently posted Indoor airPLUS podcasts and webinars! This fall we recorded two new podcasts and hosted a low-emission compliant product webinar all of which are available online for you to listen to at your leisure. Visit https://www.epa.gov/…/indoor-airplus-videos-podcasts-webina… to listen today!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to perform an energy audit on your own home? Wondering how you can get started? Check out the Department of Energy’s Home Energy Checklist for an easy-to-implement measure that you can act on today, this week, this month, or this year to make your home more energy efficient and comfortable. http://energy.gov/eere/femp/home-energy-checklist

Are Healthy Homes the Next Big Thing? Read about what buyers are demanding and paying more for. Hint: it’s homes that don’t make them sick. http://www.ecobuildingpulse.com/…/are-healthy-homes-the-nex….

EPA’s Winter Tips (https://www3.epa.gov/epahome/hi-winter.htm) can help you go green for the holidays, reduce waste, save energy, and more! Winter is a good time to focus on energy efficiency and health in your home, since chilly temperatures keep many Americans indoors. From ensuring your heating system is functioning properly and safely, to choosing safer, environmentally friendly products, there’s a lot you can do!

Is your school or school district facing an indoor air quality issue? The interactive map on EPA’s Find Local Indoor Air Quality Champions website can help you connect with a school district in your area that has been recognized for its efforts to improve IAQ and protect student and staff health and safety. We encourage you to reach out to these exemplary programs to learn more about the strategies, challenges and commitments they have taken to protect student and staff health and safety. Learn more at https://www.epa.gov/…/find-local-indoor-air-quality-champio….

Thrive Home Builders is a winner on two fronts! Having earned the Indoor airPLUS Leader Award earlier this year, this Denver, Colorado based home builder also won the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Housing Innovation Award! From committing to labeling 100% of their homes as Indoor airPLUS, to being a Zero Energy Ready Home builder, Thrive Home Builders is truly leading the way in energy efficiency and indoor air quality in home construction! Learn more, and check out the other Housing Innovation Award winners at http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/housing-innovation-awards.

Did you know that energy costs in the kitchen can total up to 15% of total home energy use? Are you determined to save energy and money while preparing your Thanksgiving turkey? Check out these easy tips from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Saver while getting your holiday feast ready to eat! http://energy.gov/…/…/using-less-energy-kitchen-thanksgiving

By this time of year, most of us in northern latitudes have closed our windows for the season – good for keeping in warmth – but also good for trapping air pollutants indoors, like those released by woodstoves and other combustion heating devices. Wood smoke is a known asthma trigger, and particulates in wood smoke can be harmful to occupant health over time. Learn what to do about wood smoke inside the home to help reduce asthma symptoms: https://www.epa.gov/asthma/asthma-triggers-gain-control

For the third consecutive year, Mandalay Homes has received the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Housing Innovation Award! Based in Phoenix, AZ, Mandalay Homes is also a winner of the 2016 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award, and was recognized for its high-performance, energy efficient homes featuring indoor air quality safeguards. Learn more about Mandalay Homes and other Housing Innovation Award winners at http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/housing-innovation-awards.

Eligible individuals may apply for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program in their state or area, which helps low-income households by implementing energy efficiency improvements to their homes that reduce energy costs while ensuring health and safety.
Visit http://energy.gov/ee…/wipo/weatherization-assistance-program to find out where to apply for weatherization assistance and to learn more about the program.

Congratulations are in order for Greenhill Contracting! The Esopus, New York-based home builder is a recent U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Housing Innovation Award winner, and a 100%-committed Indoor airPLUS builder who won the Indoor airPLUS Leader Award earlier this year! Check out how builders like Greenhill Contracting are leading the way in innovative home building at the Housing Innovation Award webpage: http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/housing-innovation-awards.

Need more information on low-emission products that are compliant with the Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications? Check out our new, easy-to-use resource to help select compliant materials, from OSB to hardwood flooring, paint to carpeting, and more! http://www.epa.gov/…/indoor-airplus-compliant-low-emission-…

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer overall, being responsible for about 21,000 deaths every year.

Check out A Citizen’s Guide to Radon: The Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Radon from the EPA to learn more about this naturally occurring, toxic soil gas and how to keep you and your family safe from it. https://www.epa.gov/…/do…/2012_a_citizens_guide_to_radon.pdf

There are quite a few reasons to care about your attic’s insulation, including comfort, energy bills, and even indoor air quality! A properly sealed and insulated attic can prevent ice dams in winter months from forming at the roof’s edge, which can damage the roof structure or permit moisture intrusion into your home. Wondering how to take action? EPA’s Rule Your Attic campaign provides all the tools you need to bring your attic up to snuff. Visit https://www.energystar.gov/newhomes/rule_your_attic to learn how to measure your attic’s insulation levels, determine whether additional air sealing and insulation would help, and DIY or hire a contractor to complete the improvements.

Did you know that 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins are produced in the U.S. each year? Many of these pumpkins end up as Jack-O’-Lanterns and then end up in the trash after Halloween.

Learn how this item destined for the landfill can instead be turned into bioenergy and prevent additional greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more at http://www.energy.gov/ar…/turn-your-halloween-pumpkins-power

As the heat of summer wanes, use energy saving strategies to conserve heat and energy during the fall and winter! The Department of Energy (DOE) has put together a list of tips from covering drafty windows to heating system maintenance all to help you remain efficient and comfortable during the approaching colder months! Find these tips at http://energy.gov/energy…/fall-and-winter-energy-saving-tips.

Respiratory Care Week (Oct 23-29) is a great time to increase your community’s awareness of lung diseases that are exacerbated by poor indoor air quality, like COPD and asthma. Check out the American Association for Respiratory Care’s website on the event, or browse publications on respiratory illnesses at http://www.aarc.org/celebrate-resp-care-week/.

Halloween is just around the corner, and to mark National Energy Action Month, the Department of Energy (DOE) celebrates with Energyween. This week-long celebration highlights energy efficiency tips, tricks, and treats to save energy at home as cooler weather approaches. Learn more at http://energy.gov/energyween.