Positive Energy Homes - Zero Energy Project

Positive Energy Homes are zero energy homes that are so efficient they produce more energy than they consume, leaving you with extra energy to use in other ways such as powering your mobile devices, power tools or even your electric car. There are two pathways to owning a positive energy home. A home can be designed and built as a positive energy home from the start, or an existing zero energy home can be transformed into a positive energy home.

Design and Build a Positive Energy Home

If you are planning to build a new zero energy home the first step is to maximize the efficiency of the home at the design phase. Once the home is designed to be as efficient as possible, the solar panels can be oversized to produce more energy than the home will consume. If you want to build a zero energy home that has the potential to become a positive energy home later on, use micro-inverters on your solar system, instead of standard inverters. Micro-inverters allow you to easily add on solar panels when you are ready to transition your zero energy home to becoming a positive energy home.

Upgrade Your Existing Zero Energy Home to a Positive Energy Home

The first step to transforming your existing zero energy home into a positive energy home is to install an energy monitoring system in your zero energy home. Monitoring the energy use of each circuit and appliance in your home will help you make changes to reduce your family’s energy consumption. Small but significant reductions in your energy usage can be achieved by installing devices to reduce phantom loads on electronics, and upgrading appliances, insulation, and equipment as needed. Your solar panels will still generate the same amount of energy, but you’ll use significantly less, leaving you with energy to spare.

Families with older children moving out of the house have an even simpler option – stay in your home. Fewer family members in the home means less energy consumption. While your home’s energy production stays constant, fewer inhabitants result in a positive energy home.

Use That Extra Energy

So now you have a positive energy home. Great job! Next you need to decide how to use that extra energy. In some states and power districts, homeowners can sell their excess electricity back to the power company to make extra money. If that’s not possible where you live, there are other options.

One of the most economically sound ways of utilizing excess electric production is to power an electric vehicle, so that your positive energy home provides you with zero net energy transportation. If the excess energy produced is more modest, you can power landscaping equipment such as an electric leaf blower, electric lawnmower, or electric power tools so that you no longer use polluting and noisy gas-powered versions.

In other words, a positive energy home allows you to live at the level necessary to stabilize the climate and balance your use of high-priced fossil fuels.

Solar Powered Vehicles

The sun that hits your roof can also power your car. Solar powered electric cars meet most, or all, of many families’ local, and in some cases, long distance, driving needs. In some communities and family situations, electric bicycles and road-worthy golf cart vehicles can get you where you need to go. With the energy produced by each 1 kW solar PV system in northern U.S. you can power an electric car, such as the Nissan Leaf, for an average of 12 miles a day – approximately 4,000 miles a year – meeting many of your transportation needs. You can travel 70 to 80 miles per charge, getting you to work and covering all your local travel – for free.

In the northern U.S., 1 kW PV system will produce about 4 kWh per day on average, powering your car for abut 12 miles per day. The bigger the OPV system, the farther your electric car can go. In the southern U.S., photovoltaic systems produce even more energy each day powering the car even further.

Using your positive energy home to power your electric vehicle makes perfect sense. Free transportation and immunity from gas price hikes just can’t be beat.

Pathways to Positive Energy Homes

Starting to Plan

Design and Build a Positive Energy Home

Taking Action

Upgrade Your Existing Zero Energy Home to a Positive Energy Home

Use Your Excess Energy Production

Use That Extra Energy

Go that extra mile

Solar Powered Vehicles

Keep Informed!