What’s Next for High-Performance Home Building

October 26, 2026 Sofia Feeney

The EEBA is engaging the industry in a new era of building

The high-performance home building industry is changing and this year’s High Performance Home Builder Summit met that moment.

The High Performance Home Builder Summit returned September 16–18 in Saint Paul, Minn. The 2026 Summit brought together builders, designers, manufacturers, raters, program administrators and other industry professionals for three days of education, networking and hands-on learning. While the Summit continues to deliver the building science expertise attendees have come to expect from EEBA, this year’s program takes a particularly close look at where the high-performance housing market is headed next.

The Summit started with opening remarks and the DOE Efficient New Homes Builder Panel, followed by a conversation with leaders from across the high-performance housing industry.

The panel also included Asa Foss and Joe Nebbia representing the U.S. Department of Energy, Megan Cordes of Beazer Homes, Charlie Gechter of BOA Builders, Gene Myers of Thrive Home Builders and Dennis Webb of Fulton Homes.

The discussion comes at an important time for the industry. With the federal 45L tax credit ending, continued affordability pressures, evolving technologies and changes to federal efficiency programs, builders are navigating a new set of questions: What does high-performance home building look like without 45L? How can builders continue delivering better-performing homes while keeping them attainable? What role will programs such as DOE Efficient New Homes play in the next phase of the market?

Rather than simply looking at where the industry has been, the opening panel focused on how builders and program leaders are adapting and what they see coming next. Attendees heard firsthand perspectives on construction strategies, affordability, innovative technologies, program participation and opportunities for future research and technical support.

One notable addition to this year’s Summit was a new three-day track led by building science educator Gord Cooke.

Day one focused on selling high-performance homes, an interactive workshop designed to help builders, sales professionals, real estate agents, appraisers, manufacturers’ representatives and housing program professionals communicate the value of energy efficiency and high-performance construction to homebuyers.

The session went beyond technical features, exploring how building professionals can translate building science into benefits that buyers understand and value. Case studies, proven sales techniques and role-play scenarios helped participants connect technical knowledge to real-world sales and marketing.

Day two shifted from the sales process to high-performance mechanicals for houses that work. This full-day session explored HVAC, ventilation, hot water, indoor air quality and electronic controls, with an emphasis on appropriately sizing and integrating mechanical systems in increasingly efficient, lower-load homes.

The track concluded on day three with houses that work: a full day dedicated to understanding the home as a system. Cooke covered the fundamentals of building science, including air, heat and moisture flow and applied those principles to walls, attics, windows, foundations, HVAC systems and construction methods.

Together, the three sessions offered a comprehensive look at high-performance housing, from how to sell it, to how to design the systems, to how to build it right.

The 2026 Summit also brought attendees outside the traditional conference setting with two unique off-site experiences.

Attendees joined Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and Xcel Energy for a presentation and tour of a remarkable new housing and light-industrial development built on a former golf course.

For an evening of networking and building science, attendees went to The Energy Conservatory (TEC) for the EEBA Party. Guests connected with industry professionals from across the country while they toured TEC’s new facility.

From the opening conversation about life after 45L to three days of building science education and unique opportunities to experience high-performance construction firsthand, the 2026 Summit reflected an industry that is continuing to evolve.

The goal remains the same: help professionals build better homes. But the questions, technologies, market pressures and opportunities surrounding that goal are changing.

This year’s Summit explored those changes together and attendees left with practical knowledge, new connections and a clearer understanding of what comes next for high-performance housing.

By Aaron Smith. He is the CEO of the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance. He can be reached at aaron@eeba.org.