Initiative takes aim at home energy
consumption
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, buildings currently
consume more than one third of all the energy and two thirds
of all the electricity used in the United States. New single-family
homes are, on average, larger than ever before and use many
more electrical devices. Only about 10 percent of new homes
are built significantly above the minimum efficiency standards,
and 50 percent are being built in the Sunbelt where the need
for electricity is even more intense because of summertime air-conditioning
loads.
To address this trend, DOE launched the Zero
Energy Homes initiative in 2002. The initiative teamed NREL
scientists with homebuilders, energy consultants and industry
organizations to move the latest energy efficiency and renewable
energy technologies out of the laboratory and into mainstream
building practices.
The concept of the Zero Energy Home combines
state-of-the-art, energy-efficient construction and appliances
with commercially available renewable energy systems such as
solar water heating and solar electricity. Like most houses,
a ZEH is connected to the utility grid, but is designed and
built to produce as much energy as it consumes on an annual
basis.
The advantages Zero Energy Homes offer consumers
include improved comfort, environmental sustainability and a
buffer against fluctuating energy prices. Also, solar power
allows the home to continue functioning even during blackouts.
The goal of the ZEH initiative is to build more
homes that perform at least 50 percent more efficiently than
those built to current minimum efficiency standards. Focusing
initially on new home construction, the initiative also seeks
to increase the number of homes that can meet their own energy
needs.
