Will Net Zero Homes Be The New American Home?

The home building industry is designing and building net zero homes in increasing numbers for customers throughout the nation. No…it is not widespread…yet, but I read about net zero homes being built more and more. That is great news because energy costs will only continue to rise.

We do not have an infinite supply of fossil fuels or natural gas, but we are becoming more efficient at collecting energy from the wind, the sun and the Earth itself for the purpose of heating and cooling our homes, as well as everyday electricity uses. And that’s just the energy-producing side of this concept. There are a gazillion other products and technologies that will come together to create net-zero zen.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a net zero house in the works in Gaithersburg, MD that will showcase the latest technologies, design features and products to test different technologies in a real-world type of mainstream house.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on on March 25, 2011 and it is scheduled for completion in the Spring of 2012.

The prime subcontractor is Bethesda Bungalows for this project.

The house is being built on the NIST test facility where it can be thoroughly studied at will. It will have 2,700- square-feet, 3-4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a detached garage and a basement.

The detached garage will house the robotics and control room that will simulate the conditions of a family of four. That should be interesting by itself. The NIST hopes to mold the Net Zero Test Facility Home into something that the majority of Americans could use in one way or another by:

What follows are some of the details of the ultra-efficient envelope and the latest, greatest technologies that a typical home would use:

What is a Net-Zero Home?

That equates to a zero carbon footprint impact.

One of the challenges of this whole project is to make a net zero home affordable for the typical home buyer. The deal with net zero homes is that you pay for all of the technology upfront when you buy the home. Your goal is to have zero utility bills, in essence. You would have a cistern in the yard that would collect rainwater, also. I would suggest that you also buy a television antenna so that you can pick up tv channels in your area without having to pay for it.

Phone service, internet and food would be your main expenses besides ordinary maintenance on your net zero home.

A net zero home was recently completed in West Asheville, NC. I admire the folks that set their sights on building a net zero home, even if it meant it would be unappealing. Luckily, that is not the case with the design of these energy-efficient homes. You can have your cake and eat it, too. You just have to pay for it up front before you can have a bite.

The NIST home will be LEED Platinum-certified, Energy Star Version 3.0, and Indoor Air Plus.

Look here for more updates on this net zero home and others like it. image via Asheville Citizen-Times