BASF and Pepper Viner Homes have announced the Pepper Viner/BASF High-Performance Home-a model for near-zero energy construction for production builders nationally. Located in the Tucson, Ariz.’s Civano North Ridge community, the test home, which is 81 percent more energy efficient than a typical home, is currently open for public tours. But according to Jack Armstrong, Leader of Building and Construction Markets in North America for BASF, creating a repeatable and profitable model for mainstream builders is the real success story.

On this project BASF worked closely with the Arizona production homebuilder to systemize its sustainable building procedures through a process called integrated design. That means each product and system builds upon the last, creating a home that is 81 percent more energy efficient while reducing environmental impacts.

BASF also worked closely with the Pepper Viner team and their sub contractors to expand their competencies in the areas of product and system installation, knowledge and procurement as well as quality assurance.

The test home achieves a rating of 19 out of 150 on the U.S. Department of Energy’s EnergySmart Home Scale, making it close to being a net-zero energy home. It is also anticipated that it will achieve a Platinum score home from the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system and was already awarded the Pima County certification system’s top (Emerald) rating. Moreover, the Pepper Viner team is using what they have learned about integrating high-performance systems and products on other projects.

For more information about the Pepper Viner/BASF High-Performance Home, visitwww.betterhomebetterplanet.com.