The BASF Builders Challenge Awards were announced today at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders' Show (IBS) in Orlando, Fla.

The awards recognize those builders who achieve significant benchmarks under the U.S. Department of Energy's Builders Challenge program. To qualify, homes must use at least 30 percent less energy than a typical new home built to code, and they must meet criteria to ensure the highest level of comfort and quality.

The 2012 awards were given to ten builders.

Most Homes Qualified to the Builders Challenge:

• Lennar Homes and Village Builders, Texas, the 2012 winner in this category qualified 2,182 homes to Builders Challenge requirements in 2011. Lennar Homes and Village Builders market these high- performance homes to achieve market differentiation, reach new buyers, and sell more homes.

Maximized Energy Performance (homes that produce as much energy as they use):

• Artistic Homes, Albuquerque, N.M., was recognized for building two Maximized Energy Performance homes. Artistic Homes has received a BASF Builders Challenge Award every year since the award program inception in 2009. In 2008, Artistic Homes became the first production homebuilder in the United States to offer a true net-zero energy option on all its homes.
• Cobblestone Homes, Bay City, Mich., was recognized for achieving a dual certification; meeting both the NAHB Green Building Standard and the Builders Challenge. Additionally, this home received the prestigious NAHB Research Center's Energy Value Housing Award and has been marketed as Michigan's first affordable net-zero energy home.
• Greenhill Contracting, Inc., New Paltz, N.Y., was honored not only for building net-zero energy luxury homes but also for leading the way to make New York's first net-zero energy development a reality. Their goal is to build the demand for net–zero homes by reducing the price point, making this net-zero energy the expected market standard.
• Ichijo USA, Seattle, constructed 10 Maximized Energy Performance homes in 2011. These homes in the zHome community have HERS Index scores ranging from 0 to minus 1, and use local materials, employ water reduction strategies, and ensures indoor air quality. With this net-zero, carbon neutral project, Ichijo is hoping to set a new benchmark for U.S. housing.
• Josh Wynne Construction, Sarasota, Fla., builds homes that achieve an impressive minus 14 on the HERS Index. Their strategy includes dovetailing traditional craftsmanship with modern building science to deliver comfortable, energy saving, high-performance homes that satisfy the demands of today's discerning homebuyers. The result is a construction backlog beyond 2014.
• KB Home, in Texas and Calif., built two Maximized Energy Performance homes in 2011. Moreover, KB Home, a national production builder, launched the Zero House 2.0 product line in 2011 and found new ways to streamline the construction process and reduce associated costs in order to make energy-saving production homes attainable to a wider cross-section of homebuyers.
• Lifestyle Homes, Melbourne, Fla., achieved the three Maximized Energy Performance homes this past year. Working with DOE Building America team (the Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction led by the Florida Solar Energy Center) the team developed of an affordable net-zero energy product line.
• Wright-Way Remodeling & Construction, Tyler, Texas, in partnership with Wright Way Solar Technologies, set a new record in 2011 for the lowest HERS score in the nation with a minus 28 HERS score. Additionally, the home earned the NAHB's Emerald Certification for excellence in environmental performance.
• Zero Energy Plans, Coupeville Washington, unveiled its Maximized Energy Performance home in 2011 boasting a minus 47 HERS score. Due to structural insulated panel (SIP) construction, south-facing windows, efficient heat pump, and 6,000-watt solar panel array, the home has no electrical or heating bills. This single-family, custom home was built for less than the price of a townhouse in their area.

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