Los Angeles County's Green Idea House Achieves Efficient Goals

The Green Idea House (GIH), an innovative whole-home upgrade project in Los Angeles County, California, has released its latest electric bill, detailing its power consumption through June 2013. The results show that GIH produced more energy than it consumed over the course of a year, including zero combustion energy. This successful project began seven years ago with the intention to demonstrate that affordable, net zero energy, zero carbon single-family home upgrades were possible. Upgrades to the 50-year-old, nearly 3,000-square-foot home included a thermal chimney, photovoltaics, a phase change dry wall, and shower drain water heat recovery system. The project was partially funded by rebates through Energy Upgrade California and Southern California Edison, an electric utility.