Originally published by AEP Ohio in the 2017 Efficiency Today magazine. Click here to read the full article

Mac Roberts remembers a time in the not-so-distant past when green construction practices were asked about once in a blue moon.

Today, he reports that customer requests for energy-efficient homes are the norm versus the exception. “We build about 25 homes per year–all of them ENERGY STAR® Certified,” said Roberts, an owner/principal at Central Ohio’s P & D Builders. “In fact, we’re in the process of building net-zero houses for two customers.”

For readers green in the ways of efficient home building lingo, “net-zero” refers to a home that at least creates as much energy as it uses.

About 75 percent of the homes built by P & D in 2016 were in AEP Ohio’s service footprint. For those homes, they were able to take advantage of the AEP Ohio EfficiencyCraftedTM Program, which supports a homebuilder’s green building efforts and provides third-party efficiency verification.

“AEP Ohio’s program definitely factored into our efficiency approach,” said Roberts. “Our company is always looking for ways to perfect our craft of homebuilding, and the support we received helped position us for the uptick in demand for efficient homes.”

Led by Roberts, who spearheads the company’s emphasis on efficiency, P & D won a coveted AEP Leadership Award in 2016 for their sustained excellence. And, they’re regular winners at the annual EfficiencyCraftedTM Recognition Lunch for builders and raters. “They win so many awards, they’ve practically worn a place in the winners circle,” said Jim Miller, energy efficiency program manager at AEP Ohio. “They deserve every piece of hardware on what must be a very crowded shelf.”

“AEP Ohio’s program definitely factored into our efficiency approach…Our company is always looking for ways to perfect our craft of homebuilding, and the support we received helped position us for the uptick in demand for efficient homes.” Mac Roberts, Owner/Principal, P & D Builders

A glance at the history of P & D Builders lets you know that this is a company that is used to peer and customer recognition. Founded in 1962 by Richard E. Dillon, P & D has built relationships as rock-solid as their homes. “It’s all about trust, respect, communication and the mutual exchange of ideas,” explains Roberts. Roberts is one of a four-person dream team at P & D, along with owner/principals, Dan Dillon, Darin Hilt and Ed Snodgrass, each a specialist with a different homebuilding expertise.

With hundreds of happy clients living in homes built to uniquely high efficiency standards, an overcrowded award shelf, and a habit of never resting on their laurels, the future at P & D looks to be a very bright green.