Our Services
Residential
RedFox Inspections conducts a thorough test on all homes we inspect. Whether on the buying or sale process, having a home inspection provides peace of mind and can also increase the value of a property.
- Certified Energy HERS Ratings performed for builders, architects and home buyers.
- Ratings for new homes, remodels and additions, when needed for certain municipalities, such as City or County
- Energy STAR Ratings offered (Energy Star V3 Certified Rater)
- RES-Check reports from plans
- Energy Code compliance checks for all local municipalities
- Manual D and J Services
Home Performance
Most U.S. homes aren’t as comfortable, healthy and efficient as they could be. Pearl’s certification system can help you make your home perform better — and increase its value. Protect your investments in high-performing features: certify and register them with Pearl.
Pearl’s independent, appraiser written study shows, that our certified homes sell for 5% more when marketed properly. And Pearl Certified homes are supported with special marketing materials that will help your house stand out from the crowd.
Commercial
With increased focus on energy efficient building practices in recent years, many states have implemented energy efficiency requirements into their low-income housing funding programs (LIHTC, IFA, and HUD). We’ve helped government-funded multifamily projects successfully achieve their energy efficiency goals.
We’ve also recently worked with multiple state programs, helping to design and implement new versions in a fast-changing industry.
We can help just about anywhere within the wide range of possibilities in the commercial world of energy efficiency. We do commercial code compliance (COMcheck).
We can help navigate through the sometimes-complicated incentive programs available.
NGBS Green certification goes well beyond saying a home is energy efficient; it provides independent, third-party verification that a home, building, or land development is designed and built to achieve high performance in six key areas: Site Design, Resource Efficiency, Water Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Building Operation & Maintenance.
Testing Homes to the Highest Green Standards
We certify homes to the rigorous requirements of the National Green Building Standard™ (NGBS) – the first residential green building rating system approved by ANSI as an American National Standard. The NGBS provides practices for the design and construction of all types of green residential buildings, renovations, and land developments.
Our stringent third-party verified certification program ensures homes and apartments are built in compliance with the NGBS and focuses on three primary attributes that are highly marketable to today’s discerning consumers:
- Providing fresh air ventilation that improves indoor air quality
- Limiting pollutants and contaminants in the home
- Preventing moisture problems that can contribute to mold and attract pests
- Incorporating practices that promote well-being in the buildings we call “home”
- Reducing utility costs through cost-effective energy and water efficiency practices
- Controlling maintenance costs through durable construction and product selection
- Providing technical and educational resources to ensure the home’s optimum performance
- Promoting walkability
- Reducing home maintenance through enhanced durability
- Preserving natural resources through responsible land development practices
- Incentivizing Universal Design elements and resilient construction
Help builders meet national green building certification as an Accredited Green Building Verifier.
As the sole certifying body, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center is responsible for training and accrediting eligible individuals to verify that homes across the country meet the criteria of the national green building certification. Individuals may work for larger organizations, but verifiers are accredited on an individual basis.
To become an Accredited Green Building Verifier, an individual must first meet eligibility prerequisites. Then the individual must complete Green Building verifier training and pass an accreditation test.
Accredited Green Building Verifiers perform the following key functions:
- Executing a verification agreement with the builder.
- Confirming with the builder that the appropriate scoring method/tool correctly shows the points claimed by the builder and that both parties understand the level (Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Emerald) of green building certification that is being sought by the builder.
- Building Verifiers complete document reviews, and record results.
- Scheduling site inspections and notifying the certifying agent
- Conduct pre-drywall site inspection and document the results.
- Documenting performance tests
- Documentation review, of site inspections for confirmation by the certifier.
Residential construction prerequisites for Accredited Green Building Verifiers:
- Residential trade contractor or builder experience either on the jobsite or in management
- Superintendent or other jobsite supervision
- Licensed or qualified home inspector
- Residential design or architectural work
- Residential land development management
- Green building verification for another green certification
- Construction consulting or training
- Construction inspection
WHAT IS THE LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT (LIHTC).
As part of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the United States Congress created the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program to promote the development of affordable rental housing for low-income individuals and families. To date, it has been the most successful rental housing production program in the nation, creating thousands of residences with very affordable rents. The LIHTC program allows the creation of marketable tax credits which can be sold/traded; the revenues from the sale of these tax credits allow for lower debt service, thereby decreasing the operating costs and making way for more affordable rents.
The LIHTC is the most important resource for creating affordable housing in the United States today. The LIHTC database, created by HUD and available to the public since 1997, contains information on 45,905 projects and 2.97 million housing units placed in service between 1987 and 2015.
The LIHTC programs are run locally with each state administering its own program.
PRIORITY ENERGY PROVIDES ENERGY RATINGS AND INSPECTIONS REQUIRED UNDER THE LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT (LIHTC).
With increased focus on energy efficient building practices. Many states have implemented energy efficiency requirements into their low-income housing funding programs (LIHTC, CDBG, HUD); many of the states like Iowa require Energy Star certification on projects applying for LIHTC.
Redfox Inspections is a HERs provider and has been a leading advocate for Energy Star certified homes for years. We can help you certify your homes; we won’t only certifiy your homes, we’ll work with you and your team from the planning stages to help you easily meet the program requirements. Priority Energy can help with:
- Energy modeling
- HVAC sizing (Manual D and J, & S)
- Required Inspections (air sealing and insulation)
- Blower Door Testing
- Duct Testing
- And much more.
Contact us today to find out how we can help you achieve LIHTC requirements
