Building materials and equipment play a key role in the efficiency and affordability of zero energy buildings. This is why we’re proud to introduce the Zero Energy Project Product Directory to help builders identify appropriate products and to stimulate the supply chain to provide products that will draw the building sector toward greater energy efficiency.

Hint: The Answer Goes Beyond Green Building Buzz Words

Tracking the growth of zero energy homes in all their different forms is essential to building momentum for the growth of zero. If you are an owner, builder, or designer of a zero home, be sure your home is listed and help grow the movement toward zero.

There is one major obstacle to the widespread transition to zero energy homes: The mortgage industry has been slow to recognize their higher market value and reluctant to finance the additional upfront cost of financially sound energy efficiency features. One solution is a system to create mortgage backed securities specifically for energy efficient homes. 

Ten years ago, making a home or building generate as much energy as it uses over the course of a year seemed an immense challenge. Tens of thousands of these advanced energy-efficient structures have been built. But they need to be better to meet the challenges of climate change, health, security, and resilience. So what’s next? Zero 2.0! 

Whether you’re building a new home or replacing worn out appliances, you’ll want to choose products that reduce energy use and your carbon footprint. Some choices are just improved versions of familiar products, and other options may be completely new. Make your next kitchen a 21st century kitchen — ready for our zero carbon future.

When choosing a high-performance wall assembly, you have many choices. One of them is to build double-stud walls. The double-stud wall approach sometimes raises the concern that it will lead to mold growth and wood rot. Is this fear based in reality? Green Building Advisor checked it out and found that wood-moisture content and seasonal temperature fluctuations do not seem to create moisture problems in double-stud walls.

Super airtight construction and heat recovery ventilation are necessary companions for zero energy homes. But the outside air may not be as clean as we think. Increasingly common extreme pollution events can overwhelm most fresh air systems. It’s time to make high-efficiency filtration a standard feature of zero homes.

The future of residential construction will include more factory buildings. BrightBuilt Home builds modular homes that are modern, durable, and zero energy ready. The precision of factory construction is a perfect match for zero energy homes, and BrightBuilt has been building zero energy homes this way since 2010.

He may no longer be the world’s richest man, but he still has some big ideas about reducing greenhouse gases. Gates’ latest book describes an ambitious, well-thought-out, set of climate actions needed to get to zero by 2050. Building efficiency and electric vehicles are just the “easy” part. Here are highlights from his plan for what must be done and how to make it happen. It's a must read for all who want to help avoid a climate disaster.

Building or renovating a home? One key to success is hiring zero energy experienced construction professionals. Now you can find designers, builders, energy consultants, prefab companies and panel manufacturers that have already built to zero. Check out our new, expanded directory of zero energy construction professionals.

Spray foam is used enthusiastically by many builders hoping to improve energy performance of their projects. But the hidden climate impact of conventional 2-pound, closed- cell foam is actually a huge step backward. A new generation of low global warming potential spray foam corrects this fatal flaw.