Each year the EPA regional Energy Star program (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana) recognizes the best development of the year.  For 2011, that award went to zHome.  Here is Northwest Energy Star’s press release in full: 

“Ichijo USA Co., LTD was recently awarded the Development of the Year award by Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes and its Washington utility partners such as Puget Sound Energy. The Seattle, Washington-based builder has been selected for their commitment to incorporating energy-efficient building techniques and design into a specific housing development, practicing social responsibility within their communities, and providing their customers with improved comfort and reduced energy bills.

Since joining the program in 2011, Ichijo USA has built a total of seven ENERGY STAR qualified homes. The Development of the Year award is given based on a range of criteria including the number of qualifying homes the builder constructed, use of the ENERGY STAR brand in marketing and sales and a commitment to quality that meets and even extends Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes standards.

“We are so impressed by the dedication of Ichijo USA to continue to build high quality, energy-efficient homes in a market where increased requirements and downward price pressures are causing many builders to cut costs and cut corners,” said Neil Grigsby, program manager for Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes. “Our builders’ commitment to excellence is exemplified by Ichijo USA, who is a true leader in building high-performance, energy-efficient homes and educating the homebuyer on the importance of energy efficiency and better quality construction.””

By providing carbon neutral homes in a market context, my hope is that zHome will set the tone for the future of Energy Star, the energy code, etc.  I am glad to see that Energy Star was willing to recognize this even though Ichijo USA is a new entry into the marketplace.

This one is about the process for achieving zero net energy – check it out!

Here’s my slideshow/blog on Dwell online about the ins and outs of our two most sophisticated technologies – the ground source heat pump and solar panels.

 Click below to see a video detailing how zHome became the first townhome development in the U.S. to achieve net zero energy.

In this video, Tom Marseille of WSP Flack & Kurtz explains in detail the three parts of the zHome Ground Source Heat Pump system.

Click on the link below to check out Enphase Energy’s website and see solar power production information for zHome’s Unit 1! 

http://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/public/systems/4jfN26325#

Performance informaiton can easily be viewed “at a glance” or in detail, including graphs, totals by day/ week/ month/ lifetime, and time-lapse videos.  Every zHome unit’s PV array will be continuously monitored this way, checking  the health and performance of every solar module and microinverter in the array and giving zHomeowners important feedback about how much energy their home is producing.  Net zero, here we come!

Brianna Craft, Americorps Volunteer

Brianna, an Americorps volunteer working on the zHome project, grew up in a passive solar house in southern Washington. Passive solar design distributes solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and rejects solar heat in the summer.

Watch this video to hear more about it:

Living in a passive solar house from zHome on Vimeo.