BIAW Green Builders win 2024 Housing Innovation Awards
October 7, 2024
Two BIAW members won 2024 Housing Innovation Awards from the US Department of Energy (DOE). BIAW Hall of Fame member Ted Clifton of Clifton View Homes and his son Ted W. Clifton of TC Legend Homes both received recognition during the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance’s High-Performance Home Building Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, Oct. 1–3, 2024
TC Legend Homes
Powerhouse Designs and TC Legend Homes won the Decarbon Copy Award for their Lynden Powerhouse. The Decarbon Copy Award celebrates “the builder whose innovative approach to decarbonization in Zero Energy Ready Homes produces the most replicability and predictability in results.”
The 2,391 sqft, all-electric custom home has five bedrooms and five baths. According to the Home Energy Rating System (HERS), it boasts -24 with photovoltaics (PV) or solar. This results in $3,700 in energy costs savings each year when compared to a typical new home.
Clifton View Homes
Clifton View Homes’ Second Street Cabins were featured in the Custom for Buyer category. These 550-sqft homes each have one bedroom and one bath.
These all-electric homes have a 37 Energy Rating Index (EIR) without PV and a -37 with PV. That results in energy costs savings of roughly $700/year.
A national leader in green building, Clifton was talking about zero energy well before it was even considered in many building circles. A designer and builder for more than 55 years with experience building in California, Alaska and Washington, Clifton was a founding member and president of Built Green Washington. Clifton built his first home at age 21 and his first zero-energy home around 2007. His numerous net zero homes produce enough electricity to offset the costs from the grid while also powering an electric vehicle for numerous miles per year. He also owns Zero-Energy Home Plans LLC.
More about the 2024 Housing Innovation Award winners
The 2024 awards ceremony honored 24 builders from across the US for their innovative contributions to the housing industry in support of DOE’s goals.
“Housing Innovation Award winners represent the country’s most innovative builders leading the charge to low-to-no carbon emissions in all new home construction by 2035,” says Jaime Van Mourik, who oversees the Zero Energy Ready Home program. “The ZERH program serves as a proving ground for what home performance should be. These builders are truly the boots on the ground, fighting against climate change while also delivering more efficient, resilient, and healthier homes to American homebuyers.”