Tri Pointe Homes Unveils Its Next Generation LivingSmart® Program

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev., Aug. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tri Pointe Homes^®, one of the largest homebuilders in the US and a leader in green building for more than 20 years, today announced advancements in LivingSmart^®, the company’s comprehensive program involving the development, construction and ongoing operation of high-performing homes that offer cost-savings and a better environment for those who reside in them.

Tri Pointe Homes’ ongoing commitment to evolve LivingSmart^® begins with research efforts to assess trending consumer demands. The company therefore engaged an independent consumer research and data consultancy to evaluate LivingSmart^® across each of the program’s five specific areas: HealthSmart^®, EnergySmart^®, EarthSmart^®, WaterSmart^® and HomeSmart^®.

The national survey¹ led to the following key findings:

• 75% (3 out of 4) of home shoppers stated they are “considerably/somewhat more interested” in purchasing a Tri Pointe home after learning about LivingSmart^®
• The vast majority of respondents (86%) said it is “extremely/very important” that their new home encompasses energy-saving features
• Home shoppers rated energy-efficient HVAC equipment, the MERV 13 Air Filter for HVAC systems, tankless or high-performance water heaters, video doorbells, and whole-home surge protection as the most valued
  • 75% stated that they “expect/are excited” to have features that contribute to energy savings

After analyzing the survey data, Tri Pointe evaluated its LivingSmart^® program to determine areas where further improvement could be made, and areas where homebuyer interest is strongest. “Unveiling our enhanced LivingSmart^® program across all of our homebuilding divisions demonstrates our passion for improving customers’ lives and our unwavering commitment to the legacy we all want to leave on our amazing planet,” said Kevin Wilson, national VP, strategic sourcing and sustainability of Tri Pointe Homes. “As a customer-driven company, we are constantly seeking to advance the performance of our new homes and the quality of our homeowners’ lives through the addition of new materials, technologies and features.”

Based upon research findings, Tri Pointe Homes added eight new, standard features across its LivingSmart^® program. In addition to Wi-Fi door locks and Wi-Fi irrigation control, the company is also making investments in the areas noted as most important to homebuyers, namely those related to energy efficiency and indoor air quality.

As part of EnergySmart^®, Tri Pointe added both a dedicated and pre-wired 220-volt, 50-amp circuit for a Type 2 EV (electric vehicle) charger and whole-home surge protection, features that ranked, respectively, as the first and second highest on level of appeal.

Power surges emanate from utility grid transfers, blackouts, and outages caused by damaged utility lines. Even the smallest power surge can wreak havoc on outlets, appliances, and connected devices, and even cause electrical fires². Given a growing dependency on smart devices, home appliances, lighting, audio, cable, and electric automobiles, Tri Pointe Homes added whole home surge protection to help safeguard the home’s electrical systems. Whole home surge protection also protects EV chargers, another new standard addition to Tri Pointe Homes’ EnergySmart^® feature set. The rise of electric vehicles, combined with auto manufacturers’ commitment to phase out combustion engine-style vehicles between 2025 and 2040³, is driving the inclusion of pre-wiring for home EV charging as standard.

Tri Pointe also made improvements to HealthSmart^®. The most notable is the addition of MERV 13 filters, which are highly rated for residential HVAC air filtration systems, and energy efficient.⁴ According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where concentrations of some pollutants are often two to five times higher than typical outdoor concentrations.⁵ This fact becomes more relevant as Americans seek refuge indoors during extreme hot and cold outdoor temperatures – especially those with underlying cardiac or respiratory conditions. Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values, or MERV, reports a filter’s ability to capture particles. Tri Pointe Homes selected MERV 13 filters as they can filter out small particles such as viruses, lint, pet dander, mold spores, pollen, auto emissions, and smoke.⁶

“Whether related to prior pandemic lockdowns, growth in work-from-home (WFH) models, or mounting concerns surrounding environmental contaminants such as those caused by wildfires, home shoppers showed greatest interest in both indoor air quality and energy efficiency,” said Linda Mamet, chief marketing officer of Tri Pointe Homes.

“By consistently evaluating the totality of our constructed home environment against ever-changing technology advancements, we’re able to maintain our position as a homebuilder that delivers on the promise of an exceptional customer experience and the most innovative product offerings possible,” said Tom Mitchell, president and chief operating officer of Tri Pointe Homes. “As a company that considers itself to be in the life-changing business, there exists an expectation for us to know what matters most to those whose lives we aim to change, as well as an ability to successfully deliver on what is most valued. Through consistent improvements across LivingSmart^®, we’re proving our commitment to our customers.”

About Tri Pointe Homes^®
One of the largest homebuilders in the U.S., Tri Pointe Homes, Inc. (NYSE: TPH) is a publicly traded company and a recognized leader in customer experience, innovative design, and environmentally responsible business practices. The company builds premium homes and communities in 10 states, with deep ties to the communities it serves—some for as long as a century. Tri Pointe Homes combines the financial resources, technology platforms and proven leadership of a national organization with the regional insights, longstanding community connections and agility of empowered local teams. Tri Pointe has won multiple Builder of the Year awards, most recently in 2019.  The company made Fortune magazine’s 2017 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list and its 2022 Best Workplaces for Millennials™ list. Named one of the Best Places to Work by the Orange County Business Journal for four consecutive years, Tri Pointe Homes was also named as a Great Place to Work-Certified™ company in both 2021 and 2022. For more information, please visit TriPointeHomes.com.

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¹ Research was conducted online November 30, – December 6, 2021, by Cambia Information Group and consisted of approximately 613 completed surveys from shoppers who had recently visited a Tri Pointe Homes community, evenly distributed across Western, Central and Eastern United States.

² https://www.ajdanboise.com/blog/2018/february/whole-home-surge-protector-vs-plug-in-surge-prot/

³ https://www.nahb.org/blog/2021/04/pre-wiring-for-electric-vehicle-charging-prepping-your-homes-for-future-demand/

⁴https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/filtration-and-disinfection-faq

⁵https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/indoor-air-quality

⁶ https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/what-kind-filter-should-i-use-my-home-hvac-system-help-protect-my-family-covid-19

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d71fc830-619f-45d7-a7b5-088e02f4125d

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c7857b76-7edc-4da3-933c-5538b18f0153

CONTACT:
Katy Biggerstaff
kbiggerstaff@newgroundco.com / 562.761.6338