Email sent to me June 6, 2016;

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On Monday, June 6, 2016 2:36 PM, "Bowles, Sam (CONTR)" <Sam.Bowles@Hq.Doe.Gov> wrote:

 

ZERH Partners,

Good morning to you all!  My name is Sam Bowles and I am the Communications Director for the US DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Program.  This marks my third year with the ZERH program and I am excited about the progress we have made and the plans we have set for the future growth of the program.  We have done some really great things in the past year and intend to carry that momentum throughout 2016, into 2017, and beyond. 

 

As many of you know, a major focus of the Zero Energy Ready Home program has been on creating more consumer awareness of ZERH homes across the country.  We are constantly asked by our partners to develop more ways to reach out to American homebuyers and let them know these homes provide a superior homeowner experience and they are available around the country today.  Conveying our value message to consumers is an essential part of the growth and success of our program and your business.

 

Last summer we unveiled the Tour of Zero, a virtual tour of ZERH homes across the country.  This tool is an invaluable resource for the program, but for it maximize its effect, we need to continue to develop ways to drive consumers to visit the tour.  We have developed partnerships with several major industry organizations, associations, and manufacturers to help spread the word about the Tour.  Currently, we are in the process of shaping a new consumer education campaign centered around the message that a Zero Energy Ready Home is the “Home of the Experts.” 

 

As we rollout this new campaign, we will also be developing a new consumer facing website to help us better communicate the value and availability of ZERH homes.  At the center of this site will be the Tour of Zero and will include a new consumer video, our partner locator tool, and powerful homeowner testimonials and success stories that highlight the success and efforts of our builder partners.  

We are excited about this campaign and believe it will go a long way in engaging the American homebuyer, but…..we need your help!  To help us tell your story, we would ask each of you to send us any engaging content that we can leverage on this site.  If you have any video or written testimonials, award announcements, articles and local media coverage, interviews, powerful marketing materials, etc. please send it to us!  Anything that you feel tells a great story about your home and the homeowner experience is great content for us to collect and help us share your story! 

 

Additionally, we would like to do our best to help you leverage your content via Social Media as well.  If you plan to share a story, press release, or anything else related to your homes and the ZERH program, please let us know so that we can help promote it and spread the word through the DOE Social Media channels we have access to. 

 

At the Zero Energy Ready Home Program, we are committed to providing Americans with the amazing homes each of you are building.  You all have made incredible efforts in building high performance homes that provide outstanding levels of efficiency, comfort, health, and durability.  We just want to share your story with the rest of the country!

 

Sincerely,

Sam Bowles

DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes

Communications Director

Sam.bowles@hq.doe.gov