One of the biggest obstacles that high-performance home builders need to overcome is the consumer perception that a high-performance home is a niche product.
April 5, 2023
minute read time
One of the biggest obstacles that high-performance home builders need to overcome is the consumer perception that a high-performance home is a niche product. Many prospective homebuyers believe it is out of their price range and inaccessible. Others might have a specific image in mind when thinking about this type of home.
However, these homes can and do look just like any other home in the neighborhood, coming in all shapes and sizes. The Zero Energy Ready Home program shows just that – a diversity of housing styles and sizes built in urban, suburban, and rural locations. From the custom dream homes on top of mountains to production homes in conventional neighborhoods to affordable housing projects in cities, the Zero Energy Ready Home program provides better homes for ALL Americans.
Over the next few months, we will showcase various types of Zero Energy Ready Homes. This month features some of the beautiful and unique custom homes that are built and certified to the ZERH program requirements, the federal government’s most rigorous above code certification program, from across the country. From the DOE Tour of Zero, explore these homes to be inspired.
Easton Carriage House by Under the Sun Building & Remodeling - Schaghticoke, NY
Located just outside of Albany, NY, the Easton Carriage House was designed to look both modern and traditional and fit seamlessly into the existing farmland that includes an 1860 farmhouse that is surrounded by barns built in the early 1900s. Not only did the design exceed the expectations of the homeowners, but in their words, “After living in this carriage house for over six months, I can confidently say it's the most comfortable home I've ever lived in.” A homeowner’s project requirement was the integration of aging in place features to ensure that the home, which has been in the family since 1920, will evolve with the family needs over time, thus ensuring older generations can continue to live on the farm. This Under the Sun Building project included features such as no threshold doorways, non-slip flooring, natural daylighting, 3-ft doorways, an ADA-compliant 5-ft turn around in the guest bath (wheelchair accessible), decorative grab bars in both bathrooms in the tub/shower and toilet areas, hands free paper holders, and a no-step entry into the home.
ZERH + Fortified Hurricane Home by Scott Norman and WATERSHED - Fairhope, AL
When the homeowners first visited the lot where this beautiful home now sits, there was one major challenge. A huge “live” oak tree sat right in the middle of the property, making it difficult to fit a home on the lot. Rather than remove the tree, the Watershed team proposed wrapping the home around the tree. This change precluded the home from having a solar array due to tree coverage, so the team focused on energy conservation measures such as shading and a high-performance insulation system to meet the ZERH energy performance requirement. The windows in the house come with interior motorized blinds to better control light and shading within the home. The home, located in a hurricane-prone area, was designed and constructed with resiliency and durability in mind by meeting the Fortified Gold standard.
Modern Farmhouse by S.D. Jessup Construction Inc. - Pilot Mountain, NC
The Modern Farmhouse in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina prioritizes health and comfort in its design and construction. “After moving into this home, my sinus problems have gone away. I used to have to get up in the middle of the night because I couldn’t breathe, but that hasn’t happened at all since we moved into this home,” the homeowner reported. The home’s exceptional indoor air quality derives from the careful selection of low-VOC (volatile organic compound) products in every place possible, the builder’s meticulous vacuuming and sealing during construction and afterward, and the installation of indoor air quality sensors for homeowner awareness. In addition to these features, this home’s living areas don’t require any additional lighting on clear sky days because of its large, tall windows, high ceilings, and open balconies.
House in a Hollow by TC Legend Homes - Bellingham, WA
As a custom builder, TC Legend has established themselves as a leader in their market by building the most certified DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes in Washington State. The House in a Hollow is a modern Scandinavian-style home that blends itself into its surroundings with live edge wood planks and a forest green exterior. This home was designed with the utmost attention to energy efficiency (achieving a HERS-23 rating) that’s also comfortable to live in. The home includes a heat recovery ventilation system that is controlled by indoor air quality sensors that respond to harmful pollutants and keep the home’s air healthy and clean.
ZERH in the News!
Earlier this month, the ZERH program was featured on Custom Builder Online introducing the program’s launch of ZERH Single Family Homes Version 2. The article recaps the history of the program, its growth over the years, and highlights features of Version 2 that take the program to new levels of performance requirements. Read the article here!
.....................................
See this newsletter in its original format here.