A Harwinton couple and their Avon builder have won Connecticut’s third Zero Energy Challenge for creating a high-efficiency home.
Paul and Diane Honig won first place for their passive house that takes greatest advantage of gains in energy while minimizing losses, such as windows that capture solar energy, sealing of all possible air leakage, and high efficiency light bulbs.
The Honigs teamed with Avon builder Wolfworks, Inc. to design and construct the home.
The Zero Energy Challenge is a design-build competition pushing builders and homeowners to create houses that use no more energy from the electrical grid than the home can produce itself.
Riverside-based Preferred Builders won second place for an Old Greenwich home, and Wilton-based BPC Green Builders won third place for a New Fairfield home.