Division Manager Mark Henninger on insulation, HERS ratings and more
April 2018 — As Charlotte continues to boom as one of the Southeast’s hottest housing markets, we sat down with Division Manager, Mark Henninger to discuss Lennar’s commitment to efficient building. A Chicago native with over 20 years of homebuilding experience in Charlotte, Mark has helped Lennar become the market leader in ENERGY STAR® Certified Homes and continues to set a standard that buyers are noticing.
Q: What makes the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) important to Lennar?
MH: “Like miles per gallon for a vehicle, HERS is a terrific indicator of a home’s efficiency as it relates to maximizing the energy it consumes. When talking about the value add to our customers related to the Energy Star certified homes Lennar builds, what’s important is not spending money each month on energy costs that would otherwise be wasted. Third party Energy Star certification is just one of the many feature we include in all of our Everything’s Included® Lennar Homes.
Q: What construction methods put Lennar well above the industry efficiency standards?
MH: “One energy superior building material we include with our homes in Charlotte to help drive energy efficiency is radiant barrier roof sheathing. This roof sheathing has a foil backing which reflects the sun’s rays and allows the attic space to remain up to 20 degrees cooler than a home using typical OSB materials. We also build our homes extremely tight through the use of an additional sealing technique which significantly reduces gaps and cracks in the exterior thermal envelope during the framing and rough mechanical construction stages to prevent air leakage. We utilize a 3rd party certification company to ensure consistency. Energy performance is now a matter of utilizing building science to gain advantages. In order to maximize these advantages, we partner with a company that enforces the standards established with the Environments for Living program by performing duct blaster and blower door tests. They do this to verify air exchange and duct leakage results are exceeding the standard on every home we build. We also use high efficient furnaces to convert usable energy into heat and now include LED lighting throughout our homes. Among other things, these factors help our homes score much lower HERS score (the lower the better) than most new homes built today and far better than used homes built just 10 years ago.”
Q: What do you enjoy most about working at Lennar?
MH: “What makes coming to work at Lennar most enjoyable is the team of associates that comprise the Lennar family. We are all focused on a common goal and have fun achieving incredible results together. Another enjoyable aspect of working at Lennar is our ability to acquire large tract of raw land in Charlotte and the surrounding areas with the vision of crafting a master planned community with uniquely designed amenities and homes where couples and families will create the most important memories in life. It’s extremely gratifying to be a part of building a community that people will never forget for generations to come. Whether they’re buying their first home, raising families or starting the chapter in life of enjoying retirement, we have the unique opportunity to create communities with amenities that serve each of our buyer demographics specific needs.”
