Creating a Zero-Energy Home

the power grid for credit or transmitted to an inverter within the home for use as household AC electricity. Either way, surplus energy is typically sent back to the utility to power other homes and credited against the energy producer's usage. Federal and state incentives can drop the price of these systems, and resources are available to builders, contractors, and homeowners to determine how big a system will be required to generate the necessary amount of energy for the home. Photovoltaic panels capture the sun's energy, which is converted for use as AC electrical power. Excess power can be sold back to the power company for a credit against power usage. Monitoring Energy Usage Maintaining a zero energy household requires a commitment to a zero-energy lifestyle. Parker compares the ZEH to a hybrid car: A hybrid car is designed to get remarkably high mileage, but driving it irresponsibly will result in average or poor mileage. ZEH owners must monitor energy usage and make energy-wise decisions at all times. Energy monitoring devices like "The Energy Detective" and the "EUM 2000" allow homeowners to monitor real-time energy usage in the home and root out inefficient energy drainers. "You become real concerned with the Watt," says Parker, and how to eliminate every single one. Monitoring devices let homeowners see actual energy usage and can inspire them to make efficiency changes like installing compact fluorescent lightbulbs or purchasing equipment with wattage in mind. In order to keep energy usage as close to zero as possible, homeowners should calculate in Kilowatt hours (kWh) the average daily production of their system. Parker advises people to use the Florida Solar Energy Center's method for calculating daily energy production. "You take the kW rating of the system and multiply it by 4," says Parker. "That will give you the kWh per day that the system can be expected to produce." Parker suggests homeowners use 3.5 or 3 for the cloudier Pacific Northwest states and 4.5 or 5 for the sunnier Southwest states. Then match daily energy expenditure to daily energy production to keep the home at zero energy. Forecast for Zero-Energy Homes "The truth is, there are far fewer true zero-energy homes out there than people think," says Parker. It is more accurate to say "near-zero-energy," in most cases. "Homes in California are getting to 50, 60, and even 70 percent to zero-energy," Merrigan says, adding that the Department of Energy's goal for a "marketable" zero-energy home by 2020 could be attained even earlier as continued research brings costs down and federal and state incentives increase. Even with cheap technology and incentive-reduced cost, however, homes built in some parts of the country will only benefit so much from the addition of solar technology, due to low kWh per day measurements. Additionally, the trend in certain areas of the home industry— home entertainment and home office, in particular— points toward the popularity of technology that increases energy usage, rather decreasing it. "Everyone wants the 50-inch flat screen plasma TV," says Parker, "but no one thinks about the fact that it draws 400-500 Watts." Investors in a zero-energy home should also be wary of the payback trap. "People are always asking about payback," says Merrigan. "They should be thinking that this is an upgrade—an investment—just like upgrading any part of the house." Like finishing a basement, adding a bathroom, or installing a pool, investing extra in a home that approaches or achieves zero-energy is an investment that will increase over time. "Whatever value you put into the home, you will get back," Merrigan adds.

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