Ultimately, the judges decided that while a home's LEED certification or Energy Star rating demonstrates vital steps toward promoting sustainability, sometimes less is more – thus, their choice of the Porte and Cottom home as the winner. 

Jonathan Schein, publisher of New York House and president and CEO of ScheinMedia, remarked: "What began as a rather humble endeavor to educate and inform the market about the importance of green and sustainability, this competition took on a life of its own.

"We're very proud of how this has grown in scale and hope it will bring new awareness about this important movement." 

The judges concurred.

"Just having this contest is a statement in itself," Christmann said. "The quality of the entries is phenomenal."

Added McGinniss: "I like the way it filtered out. It's a good cross-section of different strata of building. This made us look at it out-of-the-box, challenge our assumptions. I'm still [a proponent of] zero net energy, but you still have to look at other things.

"What's important to consider is the larger environmental and social costs of not investing in renewable energy and net zero building," McGinniss said.

For more details and photographs of each of the finalists, visit newyorkhousemagazine.com.

THE FINALISTS, BY COUNTY

Sun Farm, a post-and-beam house in Claverack designed by Space Inc.

Columbia County

Sun Farm, a 2,400-square foot house designed by Space Inc.'s Daniela Bertol and David Foell, is perched on a gentle rise in abandoned agricultural fields in Claverack.

It's a post-and-beam, passive-solar house with extensive daylighting and a frame on the southern façade that supports an array of PV panels. The Structural Insulated Panels around the exterior envelope and extensive insulation and sealing ensure a tight home. The construction approach and materials are characterized by minimalist details, while the layout is informed by awareness of the sun's movement.

Dutchess County

Architect David Borenstein submitted three homes in Milan: The Farmhouse, an Energy Star-labeled spec house built in 2006; The Red House (2003), a spec house that exceeds Energy Star standards, and the Trevor Burgess and Gary Hess residence, built in 2005. Each is sited to minimize the impact on the environment, while taking advantage of passive solar gain. The Red House and Burgess/Hess home were made using insulated concrete forms, are super-insulated and use radiant heat. The Farmhouse, featuring red Hardiplank recycled fiber cement board siding and shingles, has a high-efficiency forced-air system and combines 19th century charm with 21st century efficiency.

The Stapell-Fuentes home in New Paltz incorporates passive solar, high-efficiency wood stove and natural gas furnace, and uses rainwater in its toilets and outdoor hoses.

Ulster County

Anthony Abei of Greenhill Contracting, Inc., built two zero-net-energy houses in Esopus with plans from Ashokan Architecture & Planning of Kingston. One of the buildings was among the first Energy-Star rated homes in the state and recently earned gold designation in the LEED for Homes program by the U.S. Green Building Council. The luxurious, spacious homes use insulated concrete forms (ICF) for walls and framing; solar PV cells on the roof, and heating and cooling through geothermal wells and ground-source heat pump system. Additionally, a heat recovery ventilation system ensures healthy air quality.

In High Falls, the Alfandre-Koenig residence, built by Mountain Valley Builders with plans from Alfandre Architecture, is a 2,500-square foot, Energy Star-rated house, under consideration for a Gold LEED rating. It was one of a handful of projects in the state that followed the pilot LEED for Homes program. The house features thermal solar hot water; a solar PV array designed to produce half the annual electricity for the home; passive solar design, radiant floor heating powered by a high-efficiency propane boiler and a wood boiler with water storage tank to supplement heating and domestic hot water needs.