Not everyone lives in a place or a situation that allows them to install their own solar panels. If you are among them, fear not! Here are four ways to source renewable power or at least compensate for the carbon emissions of the energy you use. These four methods make zero energy homes and buildings possible for everyone.

Although the price of solar panels has plunged in recent years, they are still the most expensive element of a zero energy home. It’s okay to defer installing panels until the time is right. Here’s how to plan your zero energy ready home so it’s ready for solar when you are.

This question is becoming more common as we begin to move past zero energy homes into the realm of positive energy. Homes can do more than power themselves. They can also put a huge dent in the energy use and carbon emissions from our personal transportation.

When you eliminate the cost of energy from your monthly budget, you also give your buying power a boost. With the right financing, energy efficiency is an investment that pays for itself. Here are several options for energy aware financing that will enhance the buying power of zero.

People don’t always make rational choices. Why would a home buyer purchase a conventional home that is actually more expensive overall than a high-performance home? It’s all about how people assess risk. Erase40 provides a tool to help homebuyers make better decisions.

This middle-class family disconnected from fossil methane and saved money. See their step-by-step approach to powering their home and car with renewable energy.

There is a housing affordability crisis across the United States. Here are eight ways that zero energy helps make homes affordable for those that need it most.

The most recent inventory of zero energy homes by Team Zero, formerly the Net Zero Energy Coalition, has just been released. The sector is steadily growing in the US and Canada.

Natural gas is no more natural than coal or petroleum, and must be phased out rapidly. This means that all new buildings must be powered by clean electricity from renewable sources. It’s just common sense.

Saving energy is the same as earning money. You can use these earnings to finance energy improvements that pay for themselves. Learn how to turn a monthly expense into more comfort and value in your home.

It’s no surprise that covering cold windows enhances comfort and improves building energy performance. However, until now there hasn’t been a reliable way to measure or express the efficiency of shades, blinds, shutters and storm windows. Now there is, thanks to the recently created Attachments Energy Rating Council.

In Part One of this two-part series we show the real financial returns for zero energy homeowners. — “A penny saved is a penny earned,” according to Benjamin Franklin. Let’s start thinking about energy improvements as investments that bring a financial return. Here are four ways to evaluate the financial performance of zero energy homes. They all demonstrate that zero energy homeowners benefit financially, making zero a wise investment.