How to Achieve Energy Efficiency and Affordability in Zero Energy Homes

How to Achieve Energy Efficiency and Affordability in Zero Energy Homes

*Adapted from: Zero Energy Project

Extremely Energy Efficient Homes

Here’s how you can start building and designing affordable Zero Energy homes while maximizing energy efficiency. These tips will help you utilize commonly available building materials and equipment along with easy-to-learn building strategies. By following these steps, you can build a new home that is affordable to build and costs less to own.

1. Start with Smart Design

Cost-effective zero net energy homes begin with smart design. Designers and architects, as well as builders, and homebuyers, should be familiar with all the energy efficiency steps involved in building a net zero home. And the home should be designed so that builders and subcontractors can implement these steps as cost-effectively as possible. There are several design parameters to which builders should ask designers to pay special attention. Detailed communication between the builder and designer will ensure that these critical details don’t fall through the cracks.

2. Use the Sun for Renewable Energy

Grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) panels currently provide the most cost-effective form of renewable energy for a zero energy home. They can power all the energy needs of a home including lighting, heating and cooling systems, appliances and hot water. However, they are the most expensive component of a zero energy home and strategies for reducing or mitigating those costs are important to consider.

3. Select Energy Efficient Appliances and Electronics

Since zero energy homes have highly energy efficient building shells and use high efficiency HVAC and water heating equipment, a new category, appliances and electronics, becomes the most  significant source of energy expenditure in zero energy homes. As a result, selecting high efficiency appliances and electronics becomes the final step needed to minimize home energy use

4. Super-Seal the Building Envelope

Super-sealing the building envelope is the single most cost-effective measure builders can take to improve the energy efficiency of a zero energy home. Several proven, air-sealing approaches are available. Choose an approach that matches your climate, skills and budget.

5. Use Highly Insulated Windows and Doors

Windows and doors are like big energy holes in a well insulated, airtight building envelope and are the third most cost-effective opportunity for making a home energy efficient. Control window and door heat loss and gain by selecting appropriate window and door products, carefully locating them, and optimizing their size and orientation.

6. Create an Energy Efficient, Fresh Air Supply

Since zero energy homes are so airtight, a continuous source of fresh filtered air and moisture control are critical to its success. This need for ventilation has a silver lining: zero energy homes are healthier and more comfortable than standard homes. Highly energy efficient ventilation systems, known as heat recovery ventilation (HRV) systems or energy recovery ventilation (ERV) systems expel stale air while recovering its heat and returning that same heat to the home.

 

Learn more at Zero Energy Project.

Team Zero is partnered with Zero Energy Project and the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA).

With Electric Cars Rolling, Washington Should Now Turn to Electric Homes

With Electric Cars Rolling, Washington Should Now Turn to Electric Homes

In his 2011 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama set a goal for the United States to become the first country to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road, pledging a historic $2.4 billion in federal grants to make it happen. Flash forward to today: Tesla is the most valuable carmaker in the world, and America has at least 1.5 million plug-in vehicles on the road.

The federal government clearly has the power to advance sustainable technologies. So where should President Joe Biden look next for a cleaner, healthier future? To where Americans spend most of their lives: the home.

American homes have always been monsters of energy consumption, typically accounting for 20 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. But the situation has grown more dire during the pandemic: Americans spent about an extra $6 billion on at-home power consumption from April to July 2020. Demand for home buying and new construction has skyrocketed, suggesting that current trends in home energy use will continue as working from home becomes a new normal for millions.

This should be troubling to sustainability advocates. While the commercial real estate and auto industries have undergone green revolutions over the past decade, residential real estate has not. Fossil fuels such as natural gas, propane and fuel oil continue to be mainstays of American homes, while an outdated patchwork of state and federal policies — protected by lobbying from established industry giants — is preventing the widespread adoption of new practices.

But there is good news. An abundance of renewable energy technologies and construction techniques are available and ready to go mainstream. Zero energy homebuilders are plentiful, and consumer demand for greener dwellings is on the rise. Without a doubt, the Tesla of homebuilding is out there, waiting for its breakout moment.

The Biden administration and Congress can usher that moment in — and they must if they intend to meet the emissions reduction targets laid out by the Paris Accord. Decarbonizing the electric grid will not be enough to reduce home emissions. More houses must be built or retrofitted with heat pumps, induction cooktops, fresh air ventilation and insulation, as well as rooftop solar panels, on-site battery storage and more.

This requires accelerating existing federal programs, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Indoor airPLUS Program and the Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Homes Program. These agencies were largely forgotten during the Trump administration. Now is our chance to maximize their impact.

Federal grants are also in order, like those Obama adopted for electric vehicles. The Biden Administration can ramp up investment in the Energy Department’s Property Assessed Clean Energy Programs, which help subsidize certain energy-efficient retrofits — like upgrading an old furnace in an office building. These PACE grants should be expanded and made available for new residential construction. Meanwhile, Congress should consider new tax incentives and subsidies for high-performance technologies for home building and renovation.

As we learned from the electric car revolution, federal action can produce a ripple effect of state-level reforms. This is key for residential home construction, given the central role that state and local building codes play in promoting adoption of new standards. Biden can be a trendsetter for the green home revolution across every level of government, which would also stimulate consumer demand.

Greener homes would pay dividends not only to the environment, but also to economic equality. The ongoing spike in demand for housing is driving prices up, making homeownership financially untenable for many young and disadvantaged Americans. High-performance homes can lower the total cost of homeownership. New tax incentives, subsidies and grants for electric homes could further increase affordability and opportunity.

Economic growth would also receive a boost, as consumers with lower utility bills have more cash to spend at businesses. Perhaps best of all, high-performance homes will improve public health by reducing air pollution and enabling cleaner air in our homes, neighborhoods and communities. In the midst of a global pandemic, and with air pollution killing 7 million people a year worldwide, these benefits speak for themselves.

Here’s the bottom line: How we build our homes is how we build our future. Biden has a golden opportunity to be for green homes what his former boss was for green vehicles — a harbinger of the next revolution. This is not only an opportunity; it is an obligation. Home energy use is rising, housing demand is growing, public health challenges are surging and the political stars have suddenly aligned in Washington. The moment has arrived, so let the electric home transformation begin.

 

Aaron Smith is the CEO of the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance, which represents over 50,000 environmentally conscious builders across North America.

TEAM ZERO Inventory Shows Robust Growth and Pipeline in Zero Energy Housing Market

TEAM ZERO Inventory Shows Robust Growth and Pipeline in Zero Energy Housing Market

The residential Zero Energy (ZE) market continues to grow across the United States and Canada, according to the TEAM ZERO 2019-2020 Zero Energy Residential Buildings Inventory. The study, which shows significant increases in multifamily units and overall energy performance, was released by TEAM ZERO, in cooperation with the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA).

The new report documents an increase in total Zero Energy projects to 27,965 units from the previous 22,146 units in 2018. These single and multifamily units are working to achieve Zero Energy performance in design, construction, and/or operation.

In this survey, TEAM ZERO uses six years of inventory collection to discuss the development of ZE homes with different climates, energy sources, and project scopes. The survey provides findings on Zero Energy residential design and construction activity, including developments in the process of achieving Zero Energy. ZE buildings aim to produce the same amount of renewable energy as they consume through high levels of energy efficiency.

“The almost 28,000 projects provide a proven template for the success of high-performance technologies and building innovations being successfully adopted today,” said Aaron Smith, CEO of EEBA and Board Treasurer of Team Zero.

Additional findings include:

Multifamily projects comprise 75% of the total ZE residential inventory. In the US, multifamily units make up 73% of the country’s ZE stock, a notable increase from 67% in 2018. Canada maintained its 90% share of multi-family projects in its total ZE inventory.

Findings show a significant rise in overall energy performance. The ZE category grew by more than one-third over the past year from 29% of units to 38.6%, the majority of which are ZE-ready.

In 2019-2020, California grew its lead in the number of ZE projects (10,959 units) and Colorado increased its ranking from 7th to 5th place (1,311 units).

For the first time, TEAM ZERO’s inventory report incorporates data related to fuel types, energy system analysis and “Off-Grid” homes.

ABOUT EEBA TEAM ZERO 

In 2020, TEAM ZERO, formerly the Net Zero Energy Coalition, joined forces with the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) with the shared goal of sustainable market transformation towards a Zero Energy future.

For over 35 years, EEBA has provided the most trusted resources for building science information and education in the construction industry.

Read about the EEBA TEAM ZERO alliance here.

To learn more about memberships, donations, and sponsorships, visit TEAM ZERO and EEBA.