Fortunately, some innovative developers and builders are
implementing solutions to incorporate into your home. If
you haven’t heard of “net-zero” and “zero-energy” homes
in your location, you will in the near future. In Aiken, SC,
and in Boulder, CO, a developer and architect are proving
that you can create affordable, energy-efficient homes. Ron
Monahan, developer of The Ridge at Chukker Creek in
Aiken and Silver Leaf in Boulder, teamed with renowned
Colorado architect George Watt to build net-zero or near-net-zero homes that achieve a 70% to 100% reduction in
energy bills. These homes have exceeded the LEED (
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design developed by
the US Green Building Council) Platinum certifications for
green building.
One Developer’s Dream
Monahan’s ideas and personal energy are infectious. He
believes in creating affordable homes that generate their own
power for everyday people. Monahan has been encouraged
by the homebuyer’s response to his net-zero approach, with
increasing sales at The Ridge during the economic decline.
Watt and Monahan recently partnered with the Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken to create a hydrogen-powered
home to be completed in 2010. The home will have photovoltaic solar panels on the roof, which will in part power the
house and in part pass energy through an electrolyzer that
separates hydrogen from water. The hydrogen will be stored
in a fuel cell and the by-product is oxygen.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to apply breakthrough
technology to residential homebuilding. It would be hard to
bring together this caliber of partnership were it not for the
pioneering programs that are taking place in Aiken and in
South Carolina,” said Monahan.
It wasn’t hard to convince architect Watt to be involved
in designing net-zero homes. Watt said, “Ron and I talked
for about two minutes about creating a net-zero project in
Aiken. Ron said ‘we need to do this in Aiken.’ I said, ‘yeah,
we do.’” And the rest is history. Watt, a carpenter before an
architect, built his first solar home in the 1980s and real-
ized then that energy efficiency should be implemented into
home design; he’s implemented renewable energy systems
ever since.
What’s the difference between net-zero and
zero-energy homes?
Two types of energy-efficient homes are emerging—
net-zero and zero-energy. While both types of homes are extremely efficient, there is a slight difference. Zero-energy
homes run off the grid. The homes generate enough energy on their own to power all of the homeowner’s needs
through photovoltaic, geothermal and soon even hydrogen
power. Net-zero homes still operate on the energy grid, but
generate enough energy to offset any annual usage through
the same renewable energy means. When you own a net-zero home, you purchase energy from your electric company, but then sell back the energy that your home generates
over the year.
“Green” Houses vs. Energy Efficiency
It seems that every successful product available today
is marketed as “green.” Houses are no different. Often, the
price tag on “green” materials is higher because of this
marketing. However, it is possible to have an energy-efficient home that is affordable. Research into energy-efficient
