Minneapolis
Community:
Orchard Place
Minneapolis, MN
Contractor:
Sabre Plumbing, Heating & Air
Plymouth, MN
Region:
Overview:
In August 2021 due to supply chain issues and a strained labor force, Pulte Homes in Minneapolis, MN set a goal to close on over 200 homes by the end of the year. Pulte, and their contractor were looking for labor reductions in production cycle
time, without increasing costs.
Install:
Pulte Homes decided to rollout using Rheia at their Orchard Place community which consisted of 101 townhomes that were three stories and 2,142 sq. ft. Installation consisted of a two-man crew with open web construction and utilized Lennox equipment.
33% reduction in rough-in installation labor time
Results:
Prior to utilizing Rheia, installation crews were installing conventional air duct systems that consisted of sheet metal and flex. Those installations had a combination of ductwork in and out of conditioned space. A typical installation was a three-day process using a two-man crew. With Rheia installation time was reduced by 33% and the install was completed in two days, using the same crew. As an added value Rheia was able to get all ductwork within conditioned space with no additional costs or changes in building construction.
On a recent winter day that had an outside temperature of -17 and -38 degree with windchill, Rheia performed beautifully. The indoor temperature on the first floor was 71 degrees and the second floor was 72 degrees. The home was quiet and comfortable.
In addition, Sabre was able to lower installation costs on this plan. After the success at Orchard Place, Pulte Homes switched to Rheia in twelve townhome communities in the Minneapolis area.