High-Performance Homes

Calculating energy efficient cost savings

Sustainability

Is Passive House Design Worth the Cost?

Higher up-front costs could be holding passive house design back, but some experts argue the long-term benefits outweigh the price

Net Zero

Getting Homes Zero-Energy Ready on Long Island

The local chapter of United Way is not only committed to providing DOE-certified net-zero energy ready homes but also cultivating a workforce to build them

House with solar panels on roof and A through D energy rating scale alongside it

High-Performance Homes

Debunking 6 Common Myths About Passive House Design

Building homes to Passive House standards could be a game-changer for decarbonizing housing and providing much-needed homes. What’s holding it back?

Energy Efficiency

EPA Introduces New Certification: Energy Star NextGen

The EPA's newest certification aims to boost national energy and emissions savings and act as a catalyst for the construction of new, energy-efficient homes

The New American Home

5 Steps to Cracking the Code for a High-Performance Home

As a model of energy savings, water conservation, indoor comfort and health, and use of on-site renewable energy, The New American Home 2024 offers valuable lessons

Insulation and HVAC being installed in The New American Home 2024, which achieves high performance scores for energy efficiency

Awards

DOE Awards Recognize Several NAHB Members for Home Performance Innovation

National Association of Home Builders members are among the winners in this year's U.S. Department of Energy Housing Innovation Awards

Three award-winning homes on podium of winners

Products

Explore the Products Used to Create the Desert Comfort Idea Home

The custom home in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert set some ambitious net zero home-performance goals. These building products help to meet them

Net Zero

Risks to Consider in the Race to Net Zero

High-performance home building is becoming more commonplace across the U.S., but net zero construction also poses new risks to the built environment

Small green wooden house surrounded by unpainted wood houses

Energy Efficiency

Home Performance Counts in the Home Building and Buying Process

Newly relaunched website is at the nexus of construction, homebuying, and retail to educate builders, real estate agents, and consumers on high-performance homes

Homeowners assessing green building options for home performance

High-Performance Homes

Desert Comfort: Next-Gen HVAC and Indoor Air Quality

A more efficient conditioned air distribution system optimizes zoned heating, cooling, and fresh-air ventilation equipment for ideal indoor comfort

Installing flexible duct system for HVAC in new home

High-Performance Homes

Desert Comfort: Innovative Measures Against the Elements

The net-zero energy Desert Comfort Experience Home combines multiple solutions to protect the house from its extreme climate conditions

SIPS installation on Desert Comfort Experience Home

Energy Efficiency

Energy-Efficiency Road Map: Whole-Building Envelope Sealing

This aerosol-based solution for home air sealing can help new and existing homes and buildings achieve stringent thresholds for airtightness

High-Performance Homes

The Desert Comfort Experience Home: Going Vertical With Insulated Concrete Forms

The use of an integrally insulated concrete-based system of ICFs for the home’s above-grade perimeter walls ensures a tight, thermally resistant shell

Net Zero

Net Zero: The Desert Comfort Experience Home Navigates a Perfect Storm

This net-zero energy home in the Arizona desert weathered its share of delays before construction started, highlighting building industry inefficiencies—all exacerbated by the pandemic

The net-zero Desert Comfort Experience Home construction site

Is Passive House Design Worth the Cost?

Getting Homes Zero-Energy Ready on Long Island

Debunking 6 Common Myths About Passive House Design

EPA Introduces New Certification: Energy Star NextGen

Home Builders Institute's Schools to Skills Grant Application Open Through December

As Mortgage Rates Rise, Buyers Lose Purchasing Power

Renters Are Choosing Single-Family Homes for These Features