The US home building industry will be transformed when California’s Zero Energy requirements take effect in 2020, according to CleanTechnica. New regulations will apply to all new residential buildings and renovations. Experienced zero energy home designers and builders as well as green real estate professionals and appraisers will gain a competitive edge as new clients seek […]

Efficiency Vermont, an energy efficiency utility working to reduce energy usage and costs for Vermont homeowners and businesses conducted a Zero Energy Feasibility Study to determine whether net zero energy homes, multi-family homes, office buildings and a combined office/light manufacturing building made economic sense.

In December of 2015, representatives of 195 nations reached an historic agreement that will help stave off the most drastic effects of climate change. The Paris Climate Accords commit nearly every country involved to working toward limiting global temperature increase to 2 degrees C and acknowledge that limiting temperature increase to 1.5 degrees C may […]

The Clean Energy Revolution is happening now. According to a study titled Revolution…Now, just updated by the Department of Energy this fall, clean energy deployment is accelerating and prices are declining. Zero Energy Homes and Positive Energy Homes, with their rooftop solar, LED lighting, and potential for powering electric vehicles are at the center of […]

In 2014, 35 percent of all housing units constructed in the United States were multifamily units—housing units in buildings with five or more units. Demand for multifamily options for housing is stronger than ever and reports indicate that this trend will continue for a while. Multifamily buildings, both existing and new, present a tremendous opportunity […]

Zero Energy Homes are not limited to newly constructed homes. In fact, there is a tremendous opportunity to greatly improve the energy efficiency and comfort of America’s existing housing stock. There are over 133 million existing housing units in the U.S. and nearly 80% of those units were built before 1990, a time when energy efficiency […]

A Note From Sam Rashkin: You can‘t start a movement if no one can agree on a name. Is it a Net-Zero Energy Home, a Zero Net-Energy Home, a Zero Energy Home, or a Zero Energy Ready Home? The first key question we need to ask is; why use the word ‘Net’ to modify the […]

California set an ambitious goal known as The California Long Range Strategic Plan, which sets forth a goal for all new homes to be built to Zero Net Energy (ZNE) standards by 2020 and all commercial buildings to be built to Zero Net Energy standards by 2030. In California, homes consume nearly one-third of the energy used […]

Can this new home battery be a game changer for sustainable energy? In April 2015, Elon Musk’s Tesla revealed their latest project, which has the potential to transform the way we store and use energy in our homes. The Tesla Powerwall is a sleek home battery that is charged from electricity generated from solar panels, or […]

We recently wrote a blog post about several options for financing residential solar panels or energy efficiency improvements for homes. For veterans, qualified military personnel and reservists, there is another option: the Veteran’s Administration Energy Efficient Mortgage (VA EEM). An Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) provides the borrower with special benefits when purchasing or refinancing a home […]

Remodeling or retrofitting existing homes to become more energy efficient and as close to net zero as feasible, is just as important as building new Zero Energy Homes. In fact, there are ample opportunities to turn standard existing homes into Near Zero Energy, Zero Energy Ready or Zero Energy Homes. By retrofitting the existing inventory of homes, […]

Positive Energy Homes are homes that are so energy efficient that they generate more energy than they consume. They are truly the next frontier in green building as they have the potential to create carbon-free electricity. Think of these homes as miniature power plants, supplying clean, renewable energy needed to power a very comfortable home—with surplus […]