U.S. Department of Energy's Housing Innovation Awards Selects United Way of Long Island as the GRAND AWARD WINNER Within the Affordable Housing Category
Project Case Study Project Fact Sheet Media Coverage
The Energy Department presented its Housing Innovation Awards to 24 industry leaders from across the nation during the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance's Excellence in Building Conference in Denver, CO. These winners are "leading the movement to zero energy ready homes providing better places for Americans to live, stronger communities, and a more economically and environmentally resilient nation."
Builder/Developer, United Way of Long Island, is a Grand Winner in the affordable category, this is the first time this award has ever been presented to a Long Island builder. The remodeled 1970's ranch in Patchogue, Long Island, New York, has a new roof, new entry porch, and a new paint job, but the changes to the home are far more than skin deep. United Way of Long Island took the home down to the studs and remade the inside, transforming the three-bed
room 1,436 SF home into a model of energy efficiency, achieving a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score of -3. This HERS rating is so low, it is actually putting money back into the pockets of the homeowner. Gut rehabs are nothing new for United Way of Long Island Housing Development Corporation, which remodels or builds about 10 homes a year. But this home is unique in that it is the first home United Way of Long Island has certified to the performance criteria of the U.S. Department of Energy's Zero Energy Ready Home program. Take a virtual tour of this home by visiting the DOE Tour of Zero webpage.
Theresa A. Regnante, President and CEO of United way of Long Island said, "Zero ready energy home design leads our impact to help Long Islanders afford home ownership. We are honored to be recognized and are excited to lead this innovation, especially in the affordable housing category. The critical design elements impacting health, safety, durability, energy efficiency and technology for homes built now and in the future will be transformative for our region. These are just better built homes."
"As a committed DOE partner who provides certified Zero Energy Ready Homes, United Way of Long Island is in the top one percent of builders in the country meeting the extraordinary levels of excellence in energy and performance specified in the national program requirements," said Sam Rashkin, Chief Architect at the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office.
To learn more about United Way of Long Island and its housing initiatives, visit www.unitedwayli.org.
About United Way of Long Island
United Way of Long Island advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on the three key building blocks of education, financial stability and health. We recruit people and organizations that bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. LIVE UNITED® is a call to action for everyone to become part of the change. United Way of Long Island is part of a worldwide network spanning across 41 countries and territories, including more than 1,200 local organizations in the U.S. For more information about United Way of Long Island, please visit www.UnitedWayLI.org, Facebook United Way of Long Island or Twitter @unitedwayli.
About US Department of Energy Builders Challenge
Since 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Builders Challenge program has recognized hundreds of leading builders for their achievements in energy efficiency—resulting in millions of dollars in energy savings. The DOE Zero Energy Ready Home -- an ambitious successor to the Builders Challenge program -- represents a whole new level of home performance, with rigorous requirements that ensure outstanding levels of energy savings, comfort, health, and durability on the path to zero energy ready homes. A Zero Energy Ready Home is a high performance home that is so energy efficient that a renewable energy system can offset all or most of its annual energy consumption.
To learn more about DOE's Housing Innovation Awards Program, visit http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/housing-innovation-awards. To take a virtual tour of DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes in your climate region, visit http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/doe-tour-zero.
###