High-performance homes provide compelling benefits for all homeowners, but no sector is better served than affordable housing. These are the homeowners that most need the reduced costs of ownership, maintenance, and health associated with these homes. Building America research projects have paved the way for affordable housing providers such as Habitat for Humanity to effectively address this need. Habitat for Humanity (Habitat) has a clear goal: Enable low-income people to become owners of affordable, durable homes. Building America shares this goal, so a partnership was natural. Since the first days of the Building America program, the U.S. Department of Energy and its research partners have provided technical assistance to Habitat. Researchers have helped local Habitat affiliates make informed choices about energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and moisture management.

Habitat Metro Denver and researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory worked together to create a series of climate-appropriate Energy Demonstration Homes. Experimenting with a variety of techniques and technologies, they designed a house that would use only 40% of the energy of a typical code-built home. The affiliate used the experience gained from this process to choose which features could be replicated easily and affordably in their future homes. Today, every house built by Habitat Metro Denver is tight, well insulated, and energy efficient.