Why Choose Zero Net Energy?
Many of today’s standards for building residential homes encourage the use of highly energy efficient and even self-sustaining designs. As a result, Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Homes have grown in popularity. A ZNE home produces enough energy through on-site renewable sources to match the amount of energy used by the home over the course of a year.1
The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHBs) estimates that the average homeowner spends more than $1,200 a year on energy costs.2 Reducing the need to purchase electricity from traditional sources can be appealing to many households. ZNE Homes are known for their energy efficient designs and are typically built with features that may help to extend the life of the home, including double wall construction and advanced framing. ZNE Homes are air sealed to help improve energy efficiency and help keep moisture, allergens, and pests from entering the home.3
NIST Net Zero Energy Residential Tour – Sealing the Building
Chief, Energy and Environment Division of NIST, Hunter Fanney takes viewers on a tour of how the Net Zero Energy Home is built. Provided by https://www.greenbuildingsolutions.org/.
Making Spray Polyurethane Foam Part of a ZNE Home
A typical home can lose as much as 40 percent of its energy through cracks and gaps in the walls and roof. SPF offers a versatile solution to this issue by insulating and air sealing a home with a single product. A home’s heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can also impact a homeowner’s monthly utility bills. Increasing the energy efficiency of a home with products like SPF can reduce the workload of a home’s HVAC system.
ZNE Designs Can:
- Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The average home is responsible for close to 10 metric tons of CO2 per year from electricity and fossil fuel use.4 ZNE Homes are designed to produce zero net carbon emissions.
- Be Thermally Efficient: ZNE Homes use energy efficient building envelopes to help guard against energy loss through the walls and roof.4
- Provide Excellent Air Sealing: ZNE Homes can improve indoor air quality by reducing infiltration of pollutants and allergens, preventing moisture build-up that can result in mold problems, and creating a comfortable home with few or no drafts.
- http://newbuildings.org/sites/default/files/ZNE_MessagePlatform.pdf
- http://eyeonhousing.org/2015/03/average-monthly-electrical-bill-by-state-2013/. Based on the National Association of Home Builders’ analysis of 2013 data published by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration.
- http://www.zerohomes.org/2015/02/07/marketing-zero-energy-homes-a-primer-for-builders-and-real-estate-agents-2/
- http://eyeonhousing.org/2015/03/average-monthly-electrical-bill-by-state-2013/. Based on the National Association of Home Builders’ analysis of 2013 data published by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration.
- http://www.zerohomes.org/zero-energy-home-design/