North Carolina’s First Zero Energy Home

On October 6th, Frances Thompson will move into North Carolina’s first Zero Energy Home. Since its completion in Fall 2005, the house has served as a research center and as an office for the organization responsible for its construction, Habitat for Humanity. The home combines state-of-the-art energy-efficient construction and an array of renewable energy systems. In addition to a photovoltaic array, 446 S. Center St in Hickory, NC utilizes a solar water heating system, a fresh air ventilation system, and a geothermal heat pump. Furthermore, energy efficient practices such as advance framing and spray foam insulation were employed during construction. The house is also equipped with recycled tile, high performance windows, and energy efficient appliances. This impressive list of features makes the home capable of producing more energy than it uses. For those interested in seeing this fine example of green building in person, there will be a housewarming at noon on Oct 6th followed by a workshop on Zero Energy Homes.