One of KB Home’s net-zero homes in Tampa, FL
Wow. I’m stunned. I just figured out what KB Home means by the “environmental features” that they hope to build on the Weatherford property next door. KB Home builds “net-zero” homes: that is, homes that produce as much energy as they consume. They call their hyper-energy-efficient home the “ZeroHouse 2.0.” The company describes it this way:
Imagine a home that can save nearly 50,000 gallons of water a year, has an electric bill that could be next to nothing and can be monitored and controlled from your iPhone. No need to just imagine this home of the future, you can now purchase one of your very own . . .
In addition to being designed as a net-zero energy home, the home is ENERGY STAR qualified and WaterSense labeled. By combining an efficient building envelope, energy-conserving lighting, appliances and fixtures with a renewable energy source in the form of solar power system, the home is designed to produce as much energy as it consumes, allowing for a homeowner’s electric bill to be nearly zero. As such, it is estimated to save homeowners’ nearly $6,000 in energy costs annually, when compared to a typical resale home.
I did a News and Observer search on “KB Home” and it turned up this article by energy beat guru John Murawski about KB Home’s plans for Raleigh:
And coming soon: National builder KB Home plans to make Raleigh its next showcase for an affordable net-zero model. The California-based homebuilder hopes to produce the model, dubbed Zero House 2.0, for the mass market at a starting price as low as $250,000.
This article was fascinating enough when I read it in May but now I know that these homes might be built right on my doorstep, why I’m thrilled beyond belief!
I think this is an outstanding place for a net-zero subdivision. It’s close enough to downtown for these energy-conscious homeowners to walk or ride a bike to work, it’s near bus routes, and the surrounding community will be friendly to the net-zero concept.
If I’m right about this, my neighborhood of East Raleigh may soon become home to the most energy-efficient homes in the city, if not the state. Very, very cool!