We recently took home the grand prize in the Affordable category at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Housing Innovation Awards ceremony in St. Louis.
This prestigious national prize was awarded for a custom net-zero-energy home we built in Bellingham for homeowners Kristina and Mike Heintz. The 1,055-square-foot home sports high-efficiency appliances, a balcony, a greenhouse, a patio, a loft, tongue-and-groove pine ceilings, and solar photovoltaic panels—all for $151,908 or $144 per square foot (not counting the land).
A 3.2-kW PV system is all it takes to power the home, thanks to a highly insulated building envelope and high-performance equipment.
More than simply winning us an award, the Heintz house exemplifies what we want to do in our company. The soon-to-retire homeowners wanted an affordable home with zero energy bills and we were able to achieve that. Learn more
About the US Department of Energy Challenge Home Awards
DOE Challenge Home builders are in the top 1% of builders in the country meeting the extraordinary levels of excellence and quality specified by the U.S. Department of Energy. Every DOE Challenge Home starts with ENERGY STAR for Homes Version 3 for an energy-efficient home built on a solid foundation of building science research. Then, even more advanced technologies are designed in for a home that goes above and beyond current code to give the superior quality construction, HVAC, appliances, indoor air quality, safety, durability, comfort, and solar-ready components along with ultra-low or no utility bills. This provides homeowners with a quality home that will last for generations to come.
Our Challenge Home Awards
2014: Housing Innovation Award, Affordable Category (Grand Winner)
Heintz Net-Zero-Energy House
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2013: Housing Innovation Award, Affordable Category
Ballard Net-Zero-Energy House
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