Alliance members were well-represented at the EnergyValue Housing Awards® (EVHA) this year. Four homebuilders were recognized: Cobblestone Homes (MI), Imagine Homes (TX), Meritage Homes (AZ) and Wathen-Castanos Hybrid Homes (CA).
EVHA is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Building America program, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in addition to the NAHB Research Center.
The awards are the preeminent energy efficiency award honoring American companies who voluntarily incorporate energy efficiency into all aspects of new home construction and home renovation. Finalists are selected from projects in three climate regions and five categories: affordable, custom/demonstration, multifamily, production, and existing homes.
IBACOS research partner and pilot home builder Wathen-Castanos Hybrid Homes was the big winner, garnering not only the 2011 EVHA Gold Award and Builder of the Year Award, but also the NHQ Bronze Award (no Gold or Silver were awarded this year). According to the EVHA judges, the company has "found a niche in a difficult market and is building high efficiency homes that are competitively priced within the market."
An EVHA Gold Award was awarded to Cobblestone Homes for its combination of high performance details with a construction management process that produced what’s being called Michigan’s First Affordable Net Energy Zero Home.
An EVHA Silver Award went to first-time applicant Meritage Homes. Although Meritage is the 9th largest homebuilding company in the U.S., its strategies for improving efficiency and its homes featuring solar power are raising the standards for production homes.
Another EVHA Silver Award went to Imagine Homes, (an IBACOS research partner) for its dedication to responsible green practices and its execution of a home with “extreme air leakage control.”
The Alliance would like to congratulate all its winning members, whose commitment to Home Quality + Performance™ has now been recognized on a national level.
For more information on the NHQ Awards, visit www.housingzone.com/NHQA
For more on the EVHA: http://www.nahbrc.com/evha/index.aspx
