A Zero Energy Home - 11/13/07

Ideal Homes of Norman, Oklahoma has built the first zero energy home priced just under $200,000.  There have been test sites for years but this is the first at such a low price.  A zero energy home (ZEH) is connected to a utility grid but usually at an off peak time.  This type of house combines renewable energy technology with advanced energy efficient construction.  This lowers the power demand.  Energy produced is usually as much as the energy consumed during a year.  There are other ZEHs on the market however they may be prices at the $1 million range.  This is the first home that is priced so low.  Ideal Homes’ builds the houses for around $125,000 and then add the 5.3kW photo cells and the ground source heat pump, etc to make the selling cost $200,000.  The house measures approximately 1,650 square feet with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage.  This is a house so ordinary it wasn’t interesting.  This is very important to Ideal Homes.  The last time they were building demonstration houses it became standard in their commercial homes.  That is what they are hoping to happen with the zero energy homes.  They normally use energy-efficient construction methods like low-e windows or fresh-air HVAC systems.  The ZEH has photovoltaics placed on the south-facing roof to capture energy and help to offset consumption.  They have a ground source heat pump that is buried underground which uses the earth’s constant temperature to heat in winter and cool in summer.  These renewable energy technologies are expensive but the costs remain the same regardless of the cost of the home.  This is a test house and not a plan that is available for purchase.  It has generated a lot of interest in the ideas put forth in renewable energy.  This model will be rented for one year so that the energy performance can be tested and monitored and then it will be sold.  The projected proceeds have already been donated to the Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity.

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