Expanding Access to Healthier, Safer Homes
A new industry scholarship is now available for individuals who want to improve the comfort, health, and safety of homes. The Larry Zarker Healthy Homes Scholarship was created to expand access to healthy housing knowledge while honoring Larry Zarker’s long-standing impact on the residential building performance industry.
For homeowners, this matters because the same healthy housing principles behind this program are the foundation of modern home performance work, including the insulation, air sealing, ventilation, and mechanical upgrades that help create safer and more comfortable homes.
What the Scholarship Provides
The scholarship, administered by the Building Performance Institute (BPI), will be awarded to five recipients each quarter. Each recipient receives:
- A digital and paperback copy of the Healthy Housing Principles reference guide
- One attempt at the Healthy Housing Principles (HHP) exam, to be completed within one year
Applicants must review the eligibility requirements and submit an application through the official program materials.
About Larry Zarker and His Industry Impact
Larry Zarker joined BPI as CEO in 2006, bringing decades of experience in the residential buildings sector. During his leadership, BPI’s standards and credentials expanded nationally, alongside the creation and modernization of multiple certifications and training programs.
He has been a strong advocate for making sure contractors, healthcare professionals, social workers, and housing specialists understand home health hazards, their impacts, and how to address them.
Zarker helped develop major programs including:
- The Healthy Home Evaluator certification
- The Healthy Housing Principles certificate program
- National education initiatives focused on housing health and safety
Even after retiring in 2024, he continues to support consultation and credentialing work related to healthy housing.
What This Means for EDGE Energy Customers
At EDGE Energy, healthy housing is not a new concept. It is the foundation of how we approach whole-home performance across Maryland, DC, and Virginia.
Our President shared the following perspective on Larry Zarker’s legacy and the industry connection:
“Larry is a DMV local with an outsized and unsung career making positive national and local impacts for workers and program managers in this essential industry. This is a fitting tribute to his legacy. I noticed a notable concurrence between the founding of our organization (2006) and his start date at BPI. As you may recall, Larry personally approved us in 2008 as one of the inaugural ‘Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Contractors’ under the then-new DOE program. Since that time, we have maintained our status as BPI-credentialed auditors both regionally and nationally, earning the Federal DOE/EPA Awards for Contractor of the Year and Sustained Excellence for many consecutive years until the program concluded in 2024/25.
Looking ahead, we are monitoring how the new programs and certifications may shift, particularly as they align with traditionally new-construction software, modeling, or RESNET’s HERS rating protocol data collection standards. We are currently waiting to see how local ordinances align before determining the most effective path forward. However, we have been HERS and RESNET raters since 2007, so we are more ready than most. That data standard can help your realtor sell your home for 3–8% more… please ask the attendant if interested.”
Why Healthy Housing Standards Matter for Homeowners
Healthy housing is not just an industry certification topic. It directly affects:
- Indoor air quality
- Moisture control and mold prevention
- HVAC safety and ventilation
- Energy efficiency and comfort
- Long-term home durability
Programs like the Healthy Housing Principles certification help ensure that contractors and auditors follow proven building-science standards that protect both the home and the people living inside it.
For EDGE Energy customers, this is the same building-science approach used in our energy audits, insulation projects, HVAC upgrades, and electrification work throughout the DMV region.
Continuing the Push for Healthier Homes
The launch of the Larry Zarker Healthy Homes Scholarship reflects a broader industry focus on training the next generation of professionals in building performance and healthy housing practices.
As standards evolve and programs shift, EDGE Energy continues to maintain nationally recognized credentials, certifications, and rating capabilities so homeowners can be confident their upgrades follow the latest building-science best practices.
If you are interested in learning more about how healthy housing principles apply to your home, our team can help you understand where your home stands and what improvements may deliver the biggest impact.
