Net-Zero Energy Homes: Could They be the Homes of the Future?
They’ve been around for less than 20 years, and they have the potential to become the homes of the future. A net-zero energy home is just like any other home, but even better!
It all started with the Riverdale Project, when architect Peter Amerongen introduced the concept of net-zero energy living, and built the first ever net-zero energy home in Alberta, Canada. He was obsessed with sustainable living and was inspired by major global issues, specifically, the oil crisis in the 70’s and global warming. He believed that if we actually want to put an end to the climate crisis and take better care of our planet, we must start with ourselves, and what better way to do that than create a living space that relies only on itself for its energy demands?
Thus, the net-zero energy home - a home that relies on itself for its energy demands - was born. But, what does that even mean? To put it simply, it’s a home that produces its own energy using on-site renewable sources such as solar and hydro energy, and consumes just that over the course of an entire year. It does not consume fossil fuels at all, and relies, instead, on cleaner ways to keep up with basic needs, like heating up the house, and producing hot water.
This type of home is not merely a “green home” that uses renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. Yes, that is one component, but there are other elements that make this type of home completely dependent on renewables. Amerongen himself said: “It’s not practical to think about just doing it [creating a net-zero energy space] with renewable energy, it would take a number of houses, 4 or 5, to collect enough energy to heat one ordinary house. You have to reduce the amount of energy that that house uses.” So, the basic concept of a net-zero energy home is that it produces its energy using renewables, and at the same time, preserves this energy as much as possible. This is dependent on the design and foundation of the building itself as well as its internal components. The following points summarize the most popular features of a net-zero energy home:
Triple-glazed Windows
These are composed of three panels of glass separated by a spacer. This spacer is filled with a gas, such as argon; which is a poor conductor of heat transfer. This works by preventing heat from escaping to the outside; keeping the house warm and insulated and reducing wasted energy.
Simple Design
Most net-zero energy homes are very simply-designed, and are quite small and compact. This is because the less exterior surface there is, the less energy is wasted and needed to meet household demand.
Thermal Mass Concrete Surfaces
Thermal mass concrete floors and countertops are very effective at storing heat from the sun during the day and then radiating it back into the room during the night. This keeps the place warm at no cost at all. And instead of the sun overheating the house in the summertime, these surfaces absorb the excess heat during the hot hours and radiate it back into the room during the cooler hours; keeping the area cool in the day and warm in the night.
Limit Air Leakage
Air leakage is a big energy waster, and many homes lack the foundational necessities to properly insulate and prevent heat from escaping the home. A net-zero energy home uses thick (8-24 feet) walls with a foam core that is designed to limit air leakage and greatly reduce the amount of wasted energy. With this type of insulation, the home, at most, loses 2% of its energy as opposed to 30% if no type of insulation is in place.
Energy-efficient Appliances
No home is energy-efficient without good-quality, energy-efficient appliances. Today’s technology has made it possible to have an even better-quality fridge that uses less energy to operate. These appliances are a major component of every net-zero energy home.
Efficient Lighting
This goes hand-in hand with the efficient appliances mentioned right above. The use of fluorescent and LED bulbs, coupled with energy-efficient lamps, makes huge energy savings; reducing household renewable energy demands of net-zero energy homes.
After mentioning those points, many of us could be wondering about the affordability of building a net-zero home. Is it even possible for everyone to take on? Well, the first and most obvious hurdle is that a net-zero energy home has to be new. The features of this type of net-zero energy building require alterations to the foundation themselves, and cannot merely have additions made to an existing owned or rented property. Another concern would be the cost of what’s needed to produce, store and save energy. Solar panels, efficient appliances, and investments in efficient electricity all add to the costs of creating efficiency for the building. However, don’t go writing off your dreams of having a home of the future just yet - you won’t need to get an architectural degree to build it from scratch either.
The U.S. Department of Energy has resources on finding a zero net energy home builder near you as well as a tool for peeking into current zero net energy homes via virtual tours across the U.S. The Zero Energy Projects offers information about specifications, recommendations, and best practices on how to go about getting started on your zero net energy home journey if you did want to start from the ground up. They also offer information about incentives and tax breaks for energy-efficient homeowners within the U.S., which can offset some financial concerns over investing in this kind of home. And, although the additional construction cost of a full zero energy home is 8% higher than that of a standard home, according to the Zero Energy Project, this can be offset by the long-term savings from the rigid energy efficiency practices, in addition to federal tax credits that are available in many parts of the U.S.
Now, taking a moment to look at the grander picture. Imagine a scenario where every home in the world is net-zero energy efficient. Can you imagine the amount of energy we could save? Frankly, the concept of these homes is still quite new and is slowly growing in popularity, especially in North America, but if more and more people commit themselves to it, then we might be able to look out for our wallets long-term while also alleviating many global issues, particularly the wide ranging issues of energy poverty and global warming.