Zero Energy Design has been a dream…

Net zero energy design has been a dream of Home Builders and Home Owners for many years.  Energy efficiency in home design has been around since the first days of solar or underground homes, passive solar was an early design choice and has impacted homes ever since.

Today we can look to a long history of energy cost increases whether it is electric, gas or oil.  Even homes heated with wood have seen increases in the cost of fuel.  These costs are going to continue to inflate over the next few decades and unless we design our homes with zero energy design in mind many of us will be unable to afford to live in our homes at some point in the future.  Many of us did not take into consideration the utility costs to run a home in the past but find we must do so today due to the rising cost of goods and services and the stagnant or recessive incomes.

Zero Energy Design is The GOAL.

Zero energy is a possible goal today and with the emerging technologies in energy efficiency products and services, we can actually design a home that is very energy efficient for heat, cooling and water costs.  So where does the zero come from?  It comes from using the technologies available with Photo Voltaic’s (PV or solar panels) that provide electricity that your home will use, or it will come from solar hot water.  Where we live in the winter we can produce 85 degree water when the temperature outside is below freezing from the sun alone.  It does not take much electricity to heat your water from 85 degrees to 120 degrees design temperature where you can use it for either heating your home or hot water for domestic use.

Heat Pumps and Zero Energy Design

Heat pumps can do much moving a home towards zero energy.  By designing your zero energy home to utilize heat pumps like mini-splits which are a non-ducted heating and cooling source for your home, again you substantially reduce the energy necessary to heat and cool your home during the majority of your heating and cooling periods.  Heat pumps take the energy from the air and create either heat or cool using the same basic technology as your refrigerator.

Another way to offset the cost of energy in your zero energy designed home is to consider wind power depending on where you live.  We happen to live in a very windy area so home sized windmills are popping up all over helping people make their homes closer to zero energy and in some areas you can use both.  Wind blows at night when the solar is not working.

The Real Truth About Net Zero Energy Design

A true zero energy design home would be completely off grid, in other words not hooked up to the electrical or gas lines for any energy.  Since this is not really possible in many areas and not really practical in others the typical zero energy designed home will have a separate meter on the auxiliary energy sources that measures the electrical energy that returns to the grid.  Most utilities are required by the government to create a certain amount of their energy through green sources so they will often pay you anywhere from double to triple what you would typically have to pay them for the power.  They use what you put into the grid at the higher price to offset your monthly bills.  If your zero energy designed home uses less energy that it produces then you live in a net zero energy home!  We can also produce enough energy to run an electric vehicle 15 to 18,000 miles a year.  Can you even imagine the savings if you determined all of your homes energy cost and then added up all of the fuel you purchase for your vehicle over the period of the year?  It would be huge!  A new zero energy design home can do this for you and it can be created without a huge impact to your budget.

Zero Energy Design can and will take our housing industry deep into the new millennium, when you purchase your next home, which would you choose? One that has the typical energy costs that will continue to increase forever or the one that has no energy cost forever.  Consider zero energy design for your next home.

Call Steve Senger @ 509-607-0300 for your free consultation and we can answer any questions you might have about Zero Energy Design.

“Zero Energy Design”, what is it really?

Can you imagine building a new home that does not have any energy cost, now or forever into the future?  How much would that be worth to you?

Zero Energy Design is taking all of the components of the house and breaking them down and using the latest science in building techniques and materials while using the Greenest and most Sustainable products and putting them all together to design your home to generate as much power as it uses on an annual basis for its heating, lighting and energy costs.

It starts with basic building design and orientation to the sun to take advantage of the passive solar that is available from your building site.  The building design is optimized to take full advantage of the energy savings available to move us toward the Net Zero Energy Design goal.

Next are the building components that will impact the energy use of the building as well as the comfort level for you as the occupant while you are living there.  Zero Energy Design will take full advantage of the many new and wonderful products available today that can maximize the energy efficiency of your home while giving you a healthier and more efficient home.  The National move toward Built Green standards in the home building industry has caused many of the new energy efficient building technologies to become more mainstream bringing the cost of those products down to a level where they are more competitive with traditional products.  Most of these products are both healthier for you and the environment as well as well as Sustainable and efficient.

How to achieve Zero Energy Design (ZED)

In order to achieve Net Zero Energy, our Zero Energy Design team must create a balance of an exciting, healthy, efficient and livable home that will meet your family’s needs for years and perhaps generations to come. Once we have created this home, then we can create the energy required to heat and operate this home from available energy sources on site.  This can be accomplished with the ground source, wind, sun or water.  All of these technologies have come a long ways in the last few years and continue to become more efficient and cost effective each year as the cost of utilities continue to rise at an exorbitant rate. We will look at each site and evaluate the best and most efficient opportunities available for your specific building site to generate the most cost efficient energy.

At the heart of the Zero Energy Design concept is the idea that buildings can meet all their energy requirements from low-cost, locally available, nonpolluting, renewable sources. At the strictest level, a ZED generates enough renewable energy on site to equal or exceed its annual energy use.  Your home will produce energy to the grid during the day when the sun is out and draw energy from the grid at night.  There are currently local and Federal incentives that will pay for a large portion of the initial cost of equipment and many areas continue to pay a substantial rate for energy produced that goes to the grid.  In our area it is almost 3 times the cost you pay the utility for your power.

The Cost of Zero Energy Design?

Zero Energy Design homes do not need to cost a fortune to build, with careful consideration of the design and specifications of the home these homes can be built for a nominal premium over the home that is standard in their design criteria and have an ongoing energy consumption cost. Most people will spend twice as much on energy for their house and car over a thirty year mortgage as they spend on the initial purchase of their home.  A Zero Energy Design home can provide all of the energy you need for both the car and the house.  Your home could create enough power to operate an electric car.

Imagine living a completely carbon free life!  Break away from the oil dominated society, live your life the way you want, in full control of your energy destiny.

Your Zero Energy Design Solution

SC Design will help you create your next home using Zero Energy Design and help you create your next home and show you how you do not need to spend a fortune to design and build your next home.  A 1900 square foot Zero Energy home was recently built in Seattle for $220,000!  Let us help you design your new home that will take you into your future!

Call Steve Senger @ 509-607-0300 for your free consultation and we can answer any questions you might have regarding Net Zero Energy Design.

The purpose of this Website is to provide you with the latest information and innovations regarding Zero Energy Design.  Today it is possible to build structures that require net zero energy by design.