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His mission has been to discover the best ways of building – highest value for the least dollar – that allows homeowners to reach for (and achieve) that net-zero goal.
“In this field, at least, the building industry has had very little innovation during the past few decades, and yet, many different ways to build more efficiently were being created and tested,” he explained. Some of these concepts have gradually become more mainstream, such as better insulation, more efficient windows, Energy Star® appliances and more. Mr. Herro orchestrated the effort to put all of the available puzzle pieces together to re-envision the single family home.
“We took the best products and techniques available worldwide and applied them to our new home building program,” he explained. As a result, the company can build a net-zero home in any of its communities, including three new ones in the Raleigh, NC, area. And in many ways, everything is a bit different.
The Building Shell
Windows, insulation, framing, an insulated attic, the lighting system and the appliances can work together to cut the energy demand for the house in half. The rest comes from partnership with EchoFirst, Inc., manufacturers of the EchoFirst Solar System, which offers a dual solar PV and thermal array in an integrated management system.
Home builders can choose to upgrade to a 5.64 kWh system that makes up the rest of the energy savings. Meritage spent a year making much of this standard, educating employees in the various aspects of the system, and using the economy of scale to introduce extreme energy savings to multiple communities.
To explain what was happening behind, above and below the floors, ceiling and walls, the company began to offer deconstructed rooms, using huge cutouts to show the difference in products.
And now, families are living in the homes and reaping the benefits of net-zero energy.
Meritage is certainly on the cutting edge, with the most experience in building net-zero homes. Colleges and universities are taking notice of the growing can-do attitude, aided in part by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, held every two years. In the competition to design and build the most energy efficient and attractive solar-powered home, home designs must be able to produce as much energy as they use. The most recent contest emphasized affordability.
Appalachian State University, located in Boone, NC, won the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 People's Choice Award for its Solar Homestead.
According to information from the DOE, the Solar Homestead is a self-sustaining net zero-energy house inspired by the pioneer spirit of the early settlers to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The isolation of early settlers to the Appalachian region fostered a pioneer spirit in those who established self-sustaining living/working compounds on the frontier. The Solar Homestead fuses these values into a highly energy-efficient home, which remains true to these underlying principles by integrating renewable resources and innovative technology into a prototype that is adaptable, self-sufficient, rugged, affordable and attractive.
Builders are taking notice. According to Kevin Morrow of the National Association of Home Builders, the market is focusing on energy efficiency. News reports suggest that more large builders are following suit. In North Carolina, AdvDevCo, out of Asheville, is building green modular net-zero homes. In Wilmington and Chapel Hill, Anchorage Building Corp. has built several net-zero homes. Others will surely join them.
What makes North Carolina particularly attractive for net-zero is NC Green Power, a non-profit organization which is working to make the state greener. Learn more about them at NCGreenPower.org.
Remember
the Green Principles
Most school children can recite the three principles of green: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. And clearly, when money is tight, families seeking new homes want their investment to pay off in efficiency, without compromising livability or costing a premium. Ask your potential builder about low-flow toilets, insulation, efficient windows, HVAC designs, and reduced thermal bridging. Make sure every home is “solar ready” to take advantage of this way of building which suddenly seems practical and affordable.
And know that the technology is out there, available to help you save money and help protect the environment for years to come. V
NCGreenPower.org
NC GreenPower is an independent, nonprofit organization established to improve North Carolina’s environment through voluntary contributions toward renewable energy and the mitigation of greenhouse gases. A landmark initiative approved by the N.C. Utilities Commission, NC GreenPower is the first statewide green energy program in the nation supported by all the state’s utilities and administered by Advanced Energy, an independent nonprofit corporation located in Raleigh, N.C.
The goal of NC GreenPower is to supplement the state’s existing power supply with more green energy – electricity generated from renewable energy sources like the sun, wind and organic matter.
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Katherine Pettit has worked as a writer,
magazine editor, printer and public relations consultant. The Columbia resident
has published more than 250 articles in magazines and newspapers. Her writing
explores a variety of subjects including travel, lifestyles, business and management.
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