Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
PROPERTY
Approaching Zero
When it comes to energy-efficient homes, builders have found the magic number.
BY JANE HODGES
ILLUSTRATION BY CLEMENTINE HOPE
“ZERO” IS THE NEW GRANITE countertop. Where builders once focused on developing huge, showplace homes featuring granite surfaces, stainless-steel appliances and spa-like master bathrooms, these days they’re turning their attention to more environmental concerns by developing what the U.S. Department of Energy calls “Zero Energy Homes.” These properties— no matter their size or style—leave lighter carbon footprints and consume no (or less) energy from local utilities.
“Within the building industry, there’s a discussion about how to define net zero,” says John Keith, president of Harvard Communities, currently building near-zero energy homes in Stapleton, Colo., outside Denver. “What we want to do is build homes that, at the end of the year, create a $0 energy bill.”
Zero homes are built from energy-efficient and environmentally friendly materials, and employ renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power along with grid-based electricity. And because some zero homes actually produce energy, they might even be able to contribute to the local grid.
These homes lack neither size nor style. Harvard Communities’ properties show only one hint of their green credentials: solar panels on sun-facing sides of their roofs. Otherwise, the 2,600 to 3,500-square-foot homes each include three bedrooms, making them big enough for the professional families expected to move to Stapleton over the coming years.
In Issaquah, Wash., outside Seattle, the forthcoming 10-unit Z-Home townhouse will resemble other Northwest houses— but they’ll employ reclaimed wood, subtly placed solar panels, and in-ground water heating and cooling systems that lower energy consumption.
Centex Homes, in California, began building zero-energy home models in 2002, including a 3,000-square-foot bungalow with a stone chimney.
There’s no sign of momentum slowing: While the idea of zero energy has been around for at least five years, Keith says it’s grown more widespread due to government tax credits. The government will extend tax credits through 2016 for up to 30 percent of the cost to purchase and install green power sources, including geothermal heat pumps, solar panels, solar water heaters, small-scale wind energy systems and fuel cells—making zero a very attractive number indeed.
