ZERH/FORTIFIED Roof Home-Louisiana by Clare Homes

Clare Homes is honored to present our groundbreaking project for the ZERH Custom Spec and the Excellence in Resiliency awards at the 2025 EEBA High Performance Home Builder Summit. Our achievement of constructing the first certified Zero Energy Ready Home with a FORTIFIED Roof for sale in Louisiana represents a truly innovative stride in the residential construction landscape, particularly in a region highly vulnerable to climate impacts.

The innovation of our project lies in its proactive and comprehensive approach to resilience, seamlessly integrating two paramount, yet often separately pursued, certifications. Louisiana's unique environmental challenges, from scorching summers requiring significant cooling to annual hurricane threats, demand homes that are not just energy-efficient but also robustly protected. Our Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) status ensures exceptional energy performance, dramatically reducing the home's operational costs and carbon footprint. This is achieved through a super-insulated envelope, high-performance windows, efficient HVAC systems, and meticulous air sealing, making the home ready for future solar panel installation to achieve net-zero energy consumption. This level of energy independence provides an inherent layer of resilience, safeguarding occupants from rising energy costs and potential grid disruptions.

However, energy efficiency alone is insufficient in a state constantly battling severe weather. This is where the FORTIFIED Roof certification elevates our project to an unparalleled level of innovation in resilience. The FORTIFIED Roof standard, developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), goes far beyond conventional building codes to create a roof system specifically designed to withstand high winds, hail, and torrential rain. This includes enhanced attachment of the roof sheathing to the rafters, a sealed roof deck to prevent water intrusion even if shingles are lost, and robust flashing details.

The true innovation is the synergistic integration of these two rigorous certifications. By building the first ZERH with a FORTIFIED Roof for sale in Louisiana, Clare Homes has not simply created an energy-efficient house or a storm-resistant house; we have delivered a holistically resilient home. This means homeowners in Louisiana can now purchase a property that offers both significantly reduced utility bills and superior protection against the very real threats of hurricanes and severe weather. This dual certification sets a new benchmark for residential construction in hurricane-prone regions, demonstrating that comfort, affordability, and safety can coexist in a single, high-performance package.

Furthermore, this project serves as a vital proof-of-concept in a market where such combined foresight is desperately needed. Many other homebuilders in our area have taken notice of our project's success and the undeniable value it brings to homeowners. Consequently, many have begun to adopt ENERGY STAR, FORTIFIED, and other high-performance home building practices. This ripple effect is a testament to the transformative impact of our pioneering work, demonstrating that our commitment to resilience and high performance is not only viable but also inspiring widespread adoption within the industry. Clare Homes is not just building houses; we are building a more secure and sustainable future for Louisiana residents, one resilient home at a time, and actively shaping the future of construction in our region. This pioneering effort embodies the spirit of the ZERH custom spec and Excellence in Resiliency awards, showcasing a forward-thinking solution to the complex challenges of modern homeownership in a changing climate.