Efficiency Vermont Best of the Best awards

Originally published in the Vermont Journal, 6/1/26

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – More than 840 people gathered for the 2026 Better Building by Design (BBD) conference recently, the region’s premier design and construction conference held each year by Efficiency Vermont. Ten organizations were honored with Best of the Best awards for leadership and innovative projects, including the event’s first-ever award recognizing a workforce development program.

Architects, designers, builders, contractors, and more from across the northeast gathered at the DoubleTree Hotel & Conference Center in South Burlington, from May 6-7. The theme for this year’s event was “Tight Margins, Bold Moves: Building for Affordability, Efficiency, and Electrification.” The 10 Best of the Best award winners whose work demonstrated the themes of this year’s BBD are Vermont Adult Learning’s Energy Works Program (statewide), Workforce Development Innovation; Lamos Electric (Franklin), Efficiency Excellence Network Partner of the Year; Johnstone Supply (Williston), Efficiency Excellence Network Leadership Award; Champlain Housing Trust and Evernorth for the 10th Cavalry Apartments (Colchester), Affordable Housing Innovation (Multifamily Homes); Cathedral Square for Reid Commons (St. Albans), Performance Excellence (Multifamily Homes); Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity for 41 Central Street (Randolph), Affordable Housing Innovation (Single-Family Homes); Bellwether Craftsmen and New Frameworks for Rose Hill Lane (Shelburne), Performance Excellence (Single-Family Homes); Geobarns LLC, for Farmer and the Bell (Woodstock), Commercial Resilience Champion; Duncan Wisniewski Architecture, Alburgh Family Clubhouse (Alburgh), Small Business Innovation; and Studio III Architecture and Scott + Partners Architecture, BETA Technologies Production Facility (South Burlington), Large Business Innovation.

Attendees shared the latest in energy efficiency practices, strengthened professional connections, and shared insights across nearly 50 conference workshops. More than 60 exhibitors, nonprofits, and other organizations offered interactive learning with building materials, heating systems, and other technologies that improve how homes and buildings use energy.

“Vermont is meeting the energy challenges we face together – collaborating with electric utilities, supporting our weatherization partners, and working with educators, trainers, and employers to grow our climate workforce,” said Peter Walke, Efficiency Vermont’s managing director, in comments opening the annual event.

Efficiency investments made in 2025 saved Vermonters more than 49,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity, or enough to power more than 700 homes for a decade, Walke noted. Those investments will save Vermonters $139 million over their lifetime. “It takes coordination across the supply chain and a skilled workforce to design, install, and service these projects to make this kind of durable affordability happen.”

This year’s BBD keynote speaker was Ellen Kahler, the executive director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF). Kahler’s more than two decades leading VSJF make her one of the most influential Vermont voices on sustainable economic development and workforce advancement. “Building anything well, whether it’s a building or a business, takes good leadership, clear communication, a healthy organizational culture, and strong teamwork,” Kahler said in an address focused on affordability and resilience in an uncertain market. “You can’t control global or national markets…taking care of what you can control will enable you to navigate the uncertainty that will always be there.”