NAHB Green Builders Recognized in National Awards Program

Sustainability and Green Building
Published

With more than 1,500 homes certified through the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program in the first half of 2020 alone, the voluntary, independently verified green program is on track to double its number of certifications this year. ZERH recognizes builders for their efforts to increase energy efficiency, improve indoor air quality (IAQ) and prepare homes for renewable energy. Since 2013, DOE has been recognizing leaders building zero-energy ready, energy-efficient homes — which have a goal of producing as much energy as they consume — with the Housing Innovation Awards.

Awardees will be recognized virtually this year during EEBA's High Performance Home Summit, Sept. 29-Oct. 9; Grand Winners in each category will be announced at the virtual conference. To qualify for the awards, builders must have homes that are certified under the ZERH program, and meet selection criteria for performance metrics, land development, design, quality construction, consumer education and more.

Robust requirements for each housing type allow leaders in the field to be acknowledged for their work in delivering energy savings, comfort, health and durability in their homes. Because housing affordability is top of mind for the industry, the Housing Innovation Awards also highlight builders who construct homes that are competitively priced with market-rate homes in addition to high-performance features and strategies. Many NAHB members have risen to the top in various categories and are being recognized in this year's awards.

NAHB members in each category include:

Attached Homes

Custom Homes for Buyer (> 3,000 square feet)

Custom Homes for Buyer (< 3,000 square feet)

Custom Homes on Spec

Production Homes

For the full list of winners, take a look at DOE's press release on the 2020 awards. Congratulations to all NAHB members who were recognized this year in this exciting award program.

To learn more about why voluntary green certification programs such as ZERH and the National Green Building Standard bring value to builders, visit NAHB's Sustainability & Green Building page.

And for more information about NAHB's sustainable and green building programs, contact Program Manager Anna Stern. To stay current on the high-performance residential building sector with tips on water efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and other building science strategies, follow NAHB’s Sustainability and Green Building team on Twitter.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Sponsored Content

Dec 23, 2025

The 5 Types of Builders — and the One Built to Prosper

Most builders want the same things: predictable profits, less stress, and a business that doesn’t grind them down year after year.

Construction Costs | Material Costs

Dec 23, 2025

Lumber Capacity Has Peaked for 2025

An annual revision to the Federal Reserve G.17 Industrial Production report shows current sawmill production levels above 2017 by 7.5%, but just 0.3% above 2023 levels.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Dec 22, 2025

State-Level Employment Situation: September 2025

In September 2025, nonfarm payroll employment was largely unchanged across states on a monthly basis, with a limited number of states seeing statistically significant increases or decreases. This reflects generally stable job counts across states despite broader labor market fluctuations. The data were impacted by collection delays due to the federal government shutdown.

Economics

Dec 19, 2025

Existing Home Sales Edge Higher in November

Existing home sales rose for the third consecutive month in November as lower mortgage rates continued to boost home sales, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). However, the increase remained modest as mortgage rates still stayed above 6% while down from recent highs. The weakening job market also weighed on buyer activity.

Economics

Dec 18, 2025

Lumber Capacity Lower Midway Through 2025

Sawmill production has remained essentially flat over the past two years, according to the Federal Reserve G.17 Industrial Production report. This most recent data release contained an annual revision, which resulted in higher estimates for both production and capacity in U.S. sawmills.