New Home Construction Continues to Get Greener with ENERGY STAR House Plans from The House Designers

With green home building on the rise, stock house plan companies like The House Designers are making it easier for builders and consumers to build an energy-efficient home with their award-winning, exclusive collection of ENERGY STAR® house plans. The House Designers 3rd annual ENERGY STAR®/Green House Plan Competition is currently being judged by home building experts and winners will be announced in June. Winning house plans from last June's competition were recently recognized by Green Builder Magazine and will be featured in their April issue.

Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) March 28, 2012

A recent Green Home Builders and Remodelers study released by McGraw-Hill Construction at the International Builders' Show (IBS) in Orlando confirmed that green home building is on the rise. Key findings stated that green homes comprised 17% of the overall residential construction market in 2011 and are expected to reach between 29% and 38% of the home market by 2016. Many builders expect that 90% of their projects will be dedicated to green home building techniques and products, which is why designers and architects like The House Designers (THD) are committed to creating innovative, sustainable homes.

“Since our partnership with ENERGY STAR® we have been extremely committed to encourage all of our designers and architects to challenge themselves to create new, authentic, sustainable designs that have the same appeal and amenities that homeowners have come to expect from our collection of best-selling, innovative house plans,” said Tammy Crosby, COO of The House Designers, the internet's leading providing of residential house plans. “Our yearly ENERGY STAR®/Green House Plan competition has produced some amazing new house plans and sparked national recognition for being at the forefront of green residential home design.”

This year's competition is currently being judged by Larry Garnett, a celebrated residential designer, Michael Cohen, a Connecticut-based RESNET Home Energy Rater and Patrick O'Toole, the publisher and editorial director of Professional Builder. Winners will be announced on June 1, 2012 at the annual THD/ENERGY STAR® awards banquet in Austin, Texas.

The six winning house plans from this past ENERGY STAR® competition, along with 12 additional entries will be featured in the April issue of Green Builder Magazine, a leading resource for sustainable residential building.

These plans were chosen because of their innovative designs and technical detailing featuring the latest in green building products and systems to provide total home comfort and efficiency. Each design features timeless architectural styles and practical/flexible layouts to ensure years of comfortable living without sacrificing amenities and aesthetics.

“Since house plans are the first step in building a home, it is imperative for designers and architects to educate consumers and builders about why they should build a green home,” Crosby said. “That's why we feel it is so important to work with publications like Professional Builder and Green Builder Magazine. Together we can ensure that the “green” home building movement continues to gain momentum.”

The Evergreen Cottage House Plan won first place for under 2,000 square feet because it offers tremendous flexibility in its design, while offering the latest in green technology and innovation. Both active and passive energy saving technologies were included such as 6-inch SIP exterior walls, a 20-square-foot grass roof tile system, a Gale Vertical Axis Winder Generator, a rainwater capture and storage system, along with photovoltaic and water heating panels. You'll also find standard green products like energy-efficient appliances, lighting, HVAC and water saving bath fixtures throughout this well-designed footprint.

The Aliste Verde House Plan took first place for over 2,001 square feet. Its perfectly square building envelope (36' x 36') makes it economical to build and maintain without sacrificing its classic Craftsman styling. Green features include 6-inch SIP exterior walls, 8-inch SIP roof with recycled composite metal roofing, energy-efficient windows, geothermal heat pump and reclaimed hardwood floors.

You can also view the video all 6 winners on The House Designers YouTube channel by clicking here.

All entries from last year's competition are available for purchase in THD's exclusive ENERGY STAR® Approved/Green House Plan collection. Each plan includes an optional ENERGY STAR® package that includes requirements for energy-efficient features and construction details such as tight construction and duct systems, properly installed insulation, high performance windows, efficient heating and cooling equipment, ENERGY STAR® qualified products, appliances and more.

All winning house plans include product specifications featured directly on the blueprints from Therma-Tru®, Fypon®, Wayne-Dalton® and Lumber Liquidators® so consumers can easily select these energy-efficient building products before construction begin.

Residential home building manufacturers interested in having their products specified directly on award-winning home plans from The House Designers exclusive ENERGY STAR® house plan collection can contact Tammy Crosby at 203-856-9334.

About The House Designers: The House Designers has been providing online house plans for consumers and builders for over 10-years. Comprised of the 10 leading U.S. residential designers and architects, THD offers the highest-quality, best-selling house plans under one roof. Each collection features a mix of builder friendly and innovative, new house plans from an accomplished group of architects and designers that have been time tested. THD maintains Page 1 positioning on Google for over 600 industry keywords, including house plans, home plans and floor plans and provides consumers and builders with unmatched customer service and house plans that meet and exceed industry standards, including the only collection of ENERGY STAR® house plans.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/3/prweb9332342.htm