2008 R-2000 Builder of the Year – Fred J Herkert, Star-Lite Construction Ltd.

The Canadian Home Builders Association, New Brunswick has named a well-known Fredericton residential construction company as R-2000 Builder of the Year for 2008.

Star-Lite Construction Ltd., owned and operated by Fred Herkert, has been a respected builder of quality homes in the Greater Fredericton area for many years.  

In addition to completing residential construction projects within the Greater Fredericton area, the company sells land/home packages in both of its two Hanwell subdivisions developments - Star-Lite Village and Eaglewood Village, and anticipates the opening of the nearby Eagle Ridge subdivision this summer.

"We build mostly R-2000 certified and EnerGuide rated homes.  There is a misconception out there today that houses can be built with R-2000 standards, but that is not right.  The R-2000 program is such that the home is either R-2000 certified or not; there is no in-between," Fred notes.

He goes on to explain that once the decision to build an R-2000 home is made by the customer, a design evaluation on that home is initiated.

"This is a computer-based program which will determine the homeowner's energy costs for the entire year.  It is obtained by entering such things as: size and type of windows, orientation of the home as it is placed on the building lot for solar gain, the heating system being used and energy conservation fixtures.  It's certainly much more that just energy efficiency.  Definitely, R-2000 homes are healthier homes because of using proper ventilation equipment, low emission paints and finishes and energy conservation fixtures."

In 2008 Star-Lite Construction Ltd. also constructed a number of homes containing solar hot water heating systems which will further reduce energy consumption in those homes.

"There was an upfront cost for the solar system but the payback - free hot water for life - is well worth the investment," he notes.

He believes that in today's home market, staying on top of new building trends and techniques is the key to constructing high quality, energy efficient homes.

"That's why we build mainly R-2000 certified homes.  Customers today are aware of rising energy costs and are more educated about the technologies available to reduce their energy bills.  So if we're able to lower our energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the same time, that's definitely the way to go," he says.

"Studies show that an R-2000 home produces one-half the amount of greenhouses gases than that of a standard profile home."

Trained as a civil engineering technologist, with a major in building construction, Fred makes a point to regularly upgrade his qualifications each year and continually keeps abreast of R-2000 technology.  He works with each customer to discuss the entire building process and assist them in deciding on the many details before any construction is started.

"I appreciate that every person's time is valuable so to save on possible delays during construction we make sure that most of the decisions are made at the outset to minimize any holdups during construction.  It's a very personalized process.  We offer our customers one of the only start-to-finish building systems in this area - service and consideration from start to finish," Fred notes.

A member of the Canadian Home Builders Association, New Brunswick for many years, Fred believes that the information and support gained from being part of a large network of home builders is invaluable to his work.

"It's great to have the input of so many good, successful business people," he says.

Fred admits to being extremely proud of being chosen to receive the 2008 R-2000 Builder of the Year award by the Canadian Home Builders Association, New Brunswick.

"All of us here at Star-Lite Construction work hard to build the very best homes possible for our customers and we take pride in our finished product.  We're really honoured to be nominated for this award by our peers in the industry and to be recognized for the work that we do," he says.