First Look

For these Housing Innovation Award winners, thinking beyond everyday building is the only way to get it done. 

For 12 years, the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) Housing Innovation Awards (HIAs) have honored the very best projects that are headed to net zero. The awards also recognize forward-thinking builders who are delivering a better experience to American homebuyers.

Winners of this year’s competition were selected for each of five main award categories, and a Grand Winner was announced from each category during the High-Performance Home Builder Summit in October.

Here are seven standout projects selected as winners and eligible as Grand Winners at the summit, and a bit on what makes them so special. Click on the linked builder names to learn more about each project. 

Builder: Addison Homes of Greenville, S.C.
Addison Homes of Greenville, South Carolina, is leading the charge for healthy, more-durable and more-efficient homes in the state. The company is spreading the word through social media platforms and YouTube videos encouraging other local builders to try high-performance measures like continuous exterior insulation, spray foam-insulated attics, ventilating dehumidifiers, and high-efficiency heat pumps with small-duct high-velocity air distribution.

Builder: Beazer Homes

In September 2022 Beazer Homes completed its first home certified to the requirements of DOE's ZERH program.  By August 2024, the production home builder had certified more than 1,912 homes, putting Beazer first in the U.S. in number of homes Zero Energy Ready certified.o This house in Ellicott City, maryland, achieved a Home Energy Rates System (HERS) Index of 4 thanks to energy efficient construciton and solar roof tiles and should save its homeowners nearly $5,500 in annual energy bills compared to a similar house built to code.

Builder: Clifton View Homes of Coupeville, Wash.
Clifton View Homes of Coupeville, Wash., built these three small (550 square foot) homes on a single 7,200-square-foot lot in Langley, not far from Seattle, to show how energy-efficient, low-carbon construction could also be affordable and attainable for middle-income home buyers. The homes use environmentally friendly materials such as cedar siding, lower-carbon insulation, and tile instead of concrete walkways. Operational carbon and energy consumption is reduced with highly efficient heat pumps and heat pump water heaters.

Builder: Daniel Colombini
Builder Daniel Colombini was able to build this DOE Zero Energy Ready, LEED, and Passive House certified 3,000-square-foot home in Ossining, N.Y., for a mere 8 percent over the cost of the same size home built to code—thanks to attention to detail and reuse of materials from an existing home on the lot. A highly insulated envelope with Larsen truss walls, a high-efficiency heat pump, 12-kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic panels, and two 16-kW batteries will help the homeowners cut energy bills by $9,000 annually while also helping them ride out frequent weather-related power outages. 

Builder: Powerhouse Designs
Powerhouse Designs focused on carbon reduction while designing this 2,391 square foot house near Bellingham, Wash., one that looks like a single-family home but actually encompasses three living spaces. A highly insulated SIP envelope and highly efficient air-to-water heat pump greatly reduced operational carbon in the all-electric home, while photovoltaic panels and batteries more than cover energy needs for the home and cars.

Builder: Howard Building Science 
Howard Building Science can build an exceptionally efficient building envelope in just three days using structural insulated panels with an outer surface of coated OSB. This takes the place of house wrap for even greater time and labor savings. An insulated crawlspace, ductless mini splits, and ENERGY STAR appliances add to energy savings in these cottage homes aimed at low- to middle-income buyers in Granite Falls, N.C.

Builder: Thrive

Thrive's E-PWR Volt Townhome is a DOE Zero Energy Ready, EPA Indoor airPLUS, ENERGY STAR Next Gen, and LEED Platinum marvel of high performance and energy efficiency disguised as a contemporary first-time homebuyer townhome in the Loretto Heights neighborhood of Denver. The all-electric dwelling is constructed entirely with off the shelf technologies and familiar construction methods coupled with high-efficiency HVAC selections, attention to detail, and 8 kilowatts of photovoltaic panels to give its homebuyers net zero energy bills, exceptional indoor air quality, and year-round comfort.