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

Membership

Dec 02, 2025

2025 Member Census: We Want to Hear From You

Keep an eye on your inboxes this week for an important invitation from NAHB to complete our 2025 Builder and Associate Member Census.

Education at IBS

Dec 01, 2025

Remodelers Will Have Tons of Education Options at IBS 2026

Remodelers constitute for nearly one quarter of NAHB’s membership, so the 2026 NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS) will have plenty for those seeking to improve their remodeling practices and businesses. Here are four IBS Education sessions tailored for attendees interested in remodeling, all taking place this February.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Dec 02, 2025

Single-Family Construction Loan Volume Rises in the Third Quarter

Single-family construction lending picked up in the third quarter, amidst the overall cooling lending environment. Loan balances for 1-4 family construction grew to $91.2 billion in the third quarter, registering the first annual increase in over two years.

Economics

Dec 01, 2025

About 7% of New Homes Are Teardowns

In 2024, 6.9% of new single-family detached homes were teardowns (structures torn down and rebuilt in older neighborhoods), and another 20.1% were built on infill lots in older neighborhoods, according to the latest Builder Practices Survey (BPS) conducted by Home Innovation Research Labs.

Economics

Nov 26, 2025

Property Taxes by State – 2024

Nationally, across the 87 million owner-occupied homes in the U.S., the average amount of annual real estate taxes paid in 2024 was $4,271, according to NAHB analysis of the 2024 American Community Survey.