The Road to Net Zero Gets Easier
As reported in Professional Builder’s September issue, Cadmus Construction is building 2,500-square-foot semi-custom homes (4,000-sq.ft. with a finished basement) with PV on their metal roofs along with solar thermal for hot water. The home received the lowest HERS (Home Energy Rating System) score on record for the building envelope and systems, only 47, which means it saves 53 percent compared with a home built to the 2006 energy code (which would score 100). The owners plan to franchise their “EcoCraft Home” system. Let’s look at the details of Weatherford Place.
The home’s solar electric output will be sold to Georgia Power at 18 cents/kwh and bought back off peak at 8 cents/kwh. The homes all have a rainwater harvesting system, with an 1,880-gallon cistern placed underground to catch rainwater for irrigation. The homes feature high-efficiency custom windows and doors with aluminum cladding exteriors, including Zo-e-shield glass (reduces window heat gain by 73%). Sales price is about $800,000.
