The story of how a small committed team in Bozeman is quietly changing the way homes are built.

From the moment the first idea for the YesHaus came to us, we knew we were working with an idea whose time had come. Between my partner Bernhard Uhl and myself we share nearly 60 years of combined experience in home building and energy efficiency. We knew we didn’t have all of the answers so we asked ourselves and our team the questions. We wanted to build a home that was energy efficient and comfortable while being elegant, beautiful, green and cost competitive. Was this even possible? We weren’t sure. We put our own money and livelihoods on the line to find out. A team of local and national people who shared our vision soon formed around us and stepped up to the task at hand.

We spent about 18 months researching and testing the best components possible in terms of energy consumption, resource efficiency, health aspects, form and function. The result is the YesHaus.

“You never change things by fighting the  existing  reality. To change something, build a new model, that makes the existing model obsolete.”
-R. Buckminster Fuller

The YesHaus is about changing the way we build homes. Most new construction is based on square feet and how many amenities are in the home. Home performance, energy bills and resource use are often talked about but seldom put into practice. Building is a risky business and most builders choose standard materials and techniques to minimize risk.

The problem is that we don’t see much innovation happening in the industry. And when home sales pick up there is little incentive to build better homes when a standard home sells just as fast. When home sales are flat there is no incentive for innovation.

Most people think energy efficiency has to cost a lot of money. We found this is not true when all of the parts are put into a holistic system. Rather than the homebuyer having a say in what they want, the market is driven by appraisals that value a granite countertop over energy consumption.

Bernhard Uhl (Founder and Chief Executive speaks about the YesHaus)

“My vision consists of many factors. Being brought up in Germany I was trained in building science. Construction there is very different and I never experienced the need for energy efficient buildings as much as I do here. I realize we have the possibility to create long lasting buildings for the future. With YesHaus we are putting more emphasis in the quality of the home rather than just putting it up and selling it. Every detail in the house is being thought of prior to construction.
I want to create a healthy comfortable home where people can enjoy their time with their families and pay minimal energy costs. I was just reading President Obama’s recent state of the union address where he says we want to reduce home energy use by 50% over the next twenty years — this is what we are doing.

And, it’s more than that, its hundreds and hundreds of years of tradition. When we look at traditional German farm houses they have thick walls to keep the cold out in the winter and in summer to keep the heat out.   These homes had very small south facing windows (before double and triple pane windows). What I am saying is we are building with a knowledge and a context of years and years of building science.   We have not developed our own thing. There is nothing we can patent. We are putting together what is known in a new way.

Another vision for me is creating a quality home. The emphasis here is on home! There are houses and there are homes. I am talking about something different. A home is a space I am coming home to. I am coming home and I am nurtured by my home. It’s spiritual and it creates being. I come home and home has a quality that does not consist of just the look and the parts we put in it. Home is something different, something that creates sanctuary.

The vision is that we create homes for people. We asked one of our clients how they like the YesHaus. We expected to hear, “It’s warm and quiet and we like the doors.” The answer was, “Our son slept through the night for the first time ever, and by himself.” I can’t tell you what in the YesHaus created this for this little boy. I do know that the YesHaus is a home and an experience.”

“German engineering. American ingenuity. Universal appeal. YesHaus.”
— DJ Hofer, YesHaus Owner Bozeman, MT.

We pay your heat bill for three years!

Each YesHaus has an independent HERS (Home Energy Rating System) evaluation. This is a bit like a MPG sticker on a car. How else can a homebuyer be assured of energy performance and have a way to compare homes?

Over 1 million homes have been evaluated nationwide in an effort to define a standard by which the energy efficiency of different homes can be compared. This standard is called a HERS score with ranges from 0 to 150. The YesHaus received a rating of 47.
This means the YesHaus is 53% more efficient than a typical newly-built home and 83% more efficient than a typical pre-existing home on the market today.

We are so confident in the low heating cost that we will pay the heating bills in the YesHaus for three years. Each home is monitored for energy use. This is possible because of our attention to engineering, design, quality and performance. The YesHaus has a predicted heating bill of just $239. per year. (1986 sq ft in Bozeman, Montana). Some homes in Gallatin County Montana have two times this amount each month.

Duke Elliott, Bernhard Uhl and the YesHaus Team may be reached at 406.209.8019 and info@emcmt.com visit them online at www.yeshaus.com