2024 Housing Innovation Awards Part Two: Change Maker Award

Awarded to the builder who demonstrates a successful strategy to transform the market (locally, regionally, or nationally) through innovative market interactions.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Office

The Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program kicked off in October by honoring some of the leading builder partners in the program at the Housing Innovation Awards (HIA), held at the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) High-Performance Home Builder Summit. The 2024 awards recognized 24 award-winning projects from across the country. In addition, six grand winners were announced and recognized for their projects and leadership in supporting DOE’s overarching goals .

Change Maker

Awarded to the builder who demonstrates a successful strategy to transform the market (locally, regionally, or nationally) through innovative market interactions.

Change Maker

Addison Homes in Greer, South Carolina, has been a leader in their market since 2015 and leverages the message of the ZERH program company wide. From YouTube, LinkedIn, their website, and company publicity efforts, Addison educates the public on the benefits of the ZERH home. Addison also educates contractors and code officials on innovative technologies and high-performance homes. Showing their commitment to innovation and market transformation, Addison teamed with manufacturers to pilot new products such as a compact duct system in their 2024 award-winning home.

“Our offering of homes that focus on health and indoor air quality has at least given that choice to the market. A few other builders have begun exploring some of the standard practices we offer. We have noticed that vendors and suppliers are now sending people our way, which means that word has spread within the builder’s market.”- Builder

Westbrooke Infill

Project Address: Easley, SC
Conditioned Square Footage: 3,682 sqft
Number of Bedrooms :4 Beds
Number of Bathrooms: 3.5 Baths
Number of Floors Above Grade: 3 Floors Above Grade
Home Type: Custom
Climate Zone Temperature: Warm
Climate Zone Humidity: Humid

WITHOUT PV

HERS Index: 36 HERS
Average Monthly Energy Bill: $133 Average
Annual Energy Cost Savings: $2,300
30 Year Savings: $95,800
Built By: Addison Homes, LLC
Profile

KEY FEATURES

Compact (core) plumbing design
Electric Vehicle Charger Installed or Wired for Charger
Heat pump water heater
High-performance wall with continuous insulation
Raised-heel trusses
Sensor controls for better indoor air quality
Unvented insulated attic
ACH 50 < 2.5 or CFM50/SF of enclosure ≤ 0.25
Hot Water Recirculation Pump

SEE THE POSTER

Updated Program Documents

DOE releases updated program documents annually for the Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program that incorporate changes and clarifications to program requirements, many of which result from dialogue with the program’s builders and raters. The updated program Versions/Revisions will be required for projects with permit dates on or after January 1, 2025. The ZERH program has also released Policy Record documents for both the Single Family and Multifamily programs, which detail the major updates included in these revised documents and the rationale behind the changes. A webinar highlighting these changes and their impact on program compliance is available here.

Article posted by:

Levi Gwaltney

Levi Gwaltney is the Editor In Chief of Las Cruces Digest. The Editor makes editorial and posting decisions regarding content published on this site. In most cases, the Editor makes little if any contribution to content published, and takes no credit for the content of republished posts. If available, the source or author of posts is provided at the top of the article.