Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) presented the 2017 Housing Innovation Awards to 24 of the nation's leading builders yesterday at the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance's High Performance Home Summit in Atlanta, Georgia. Overall, 26 award-winning homes were selected from five categories: Affordable Homes, Multi-Family Homes, Production Homes, Custom Homes (Buyers), and Custom Homes (Spec).

"Housing Innovation Award winners represent the top 1% of builders across the country who successfully demonstrate they can meet the federal government's most rigorous specifications for high-performance homes," said Sam Rashkin, chief architect at DOE's Building Technologies Office. "Zero Energy Ready Homes are designed to provide a whole new level of home owner experience, including ultra-low utility bills, ensured comfort, comprehensive water protection, whole-house fresh air delivery, high-capture filtration, contaminant control, and enhanced durability."

"These winners are leading a national movement to Zero Energy Ready Homes, providing better places for Americans to live, stronger communities, and a more economically and environmentally resilient nation," said Rashkin.

The 2017 Housing Innovation Awards featured the highest number of applicants in the history of the Zero Energy Ready Home program. From among these applications, an esteemed panel of judges had the difficult decision of selecting winners and grand winners in each of the five categories. Additionally, the judges selected a select number of homes as honorable mentions, which will be featured on the DOE Tour of Zero, a virtual tour of Zero Energy Ready Homes across the country.

A complete list of the 2017 Housing Innovation Award Winners is provided below. Visit DOE's website to learn more about the awards. Winning homes from previous years can be viewed on the DOE Tour of Zero.

2017 Housing Innovation Award Winners

Winners for Innovation in Affordable Homes

  • Capstone Homes, Flagstaff, Arizona
  • Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley, Hickory, North Carolina
  • United Way of Long Island, Huntington Station, New York—Grand Winner

Winners for Innovation in Custom Homes (For Buyer)

  • Alliance Green Builders, Ramona, California—Grand Winner
  • BPC Green Builders, Staatsburg, New York
  • Clifton View Homes Inc., Anacortes, Washington
  • Ferrier Custom Homes, Dallas, Texas
  • Garden State Modular, Lavallett, New Jersey
  • High Performance Homes, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
  • Imery & Co., Chamblee, Georgia
  • SD Jessup Construction, Tobaccoville, North Carolina
  • Mantell-Hecathorn Builders, Durango, Colorado

Winners for Innovation in Custom Homes (Spec)

  • Addison Homes, Greenville, South Carolina
  • Amaris Homes, Afton, Minnesota—Grand Winner
  • BrightLeaf Homes, Brookfield, Illinois
  • Charis Homes, Uniontown, Ohio
  • Greenhill Contracting, Gardiner, New York—Grand Winner
  • Thornhill Custom Homes, Dallas, Texas

Winners for Innovation in Multi-Family Homes

  • Revive Properties, Fort Collins, Colorado
  • Thrive Home Builders, Lone Tree, Colorado—Grand Winner

Winners for Innovation in Production Homes

  • Charles Thomas Homes, Omaha, Nebraska
  • Garbett Construction, Sandy, Utah
  • Health-E Community Enterprise, Richmond, Virginia
  • Mandalay Homes, Prescott, Arizona
  • Revive Properties, Fort Collins, Colorado
  • Thrive Home Builders, Denver, Colorado—Grand Winner

Winner: Most Homes Certified

Mandalay Homes, Prescott, Arizona

There are builders who construct one extraordinary home a year and then there are those who construct many of these homes. In 2017, Mandalay Homes had the distinction of building the most homes meeting the rigorous Zero Energy Ready Home specifications.

Honorable Mentions

  • Bellingham Bay Builders, Custer, Washington
  • Celebration Green Design, Guilford, Connecticut
  • Clifton View Homes Inc., Snohomish, Washington
  • Dwell Development, Seattle, Washington
  • E2 Homes, Windermere, Florida
  • Greenhill Contracting, New Paltz, New York
  • Insulsteel Constructors, Charleston, South Carolina
  • Seville Consulting, Decatur, Georgia
  • TC Legend, Custer, Washington
  • Passive Dwellings, Hillsdale, New York
  • Unity Homes Inc., Walpole, New Hampshire