Starting in the 2022 competition all builder entries will be considered for the award rather than the previous process where entrants had to opt in to the prize category. The award will be renamed the “Sustainable and Environmental Excellence Award” and incorporates a wider range of sustainability and environmental principles for consideration by the judges, including the home's design, choice and installation of materials, and the way in which the home has been built.

“We see these changes as a real positive,” says Dave Downey, CEO of APL Window Solutions, “and puts our sponsored award right into the mainstream of this prestigious competition. A broadening of judging criteria is also a smart move in view of the forthcoming changes to the Building Code H1 energy efficiency standards which are going to create a much more uniform and energy-efficient residential built environment. Fine-tuning and broadening the criteria makes a lot of sense — well done, Master Builders.”

The 2021 national winner of the APL Sustainable Excellence Award was eHaus Manawatu which specialises in the construction of passive house projects. Led by Registered Master Builder Warren Dunn, eHaus won two national awards and seven regional awards for a three-bedroom, 355-square-metre home in Feilding with advanced energy efficiency features.

Warren has worked in the Manawatu construction industry since the 1980’s and, over this time, has built some of the most striking houses in the region. The prize-winning home featured composite wood-aluminium windows and doors with triple glazing, but the company have also been using APL’s uPVC window range, Klima Series, because of its high thermal resistance and passive house rating.

“I’ve always been different — looking for a different way to do things,” says Warren. His move to homes of outstanding energy efficiency has set him on a firm course. “I wouldn’t build any other way now.”