Earth Advantage Net Zero Builder Shares
Consumption Data and Specifications

SolAire Homebuilders, building custom homes in the Bend, Oregon area since 1995, is a dedicated 100% Earth Advantage and ENERGY STAR builder. They have built two certified Earth Advantage Net Zero homes, which must earn platinum level certification as well as meet 95% of the modeled energy load with renewables. Solaire tracked the energy consumption numbers from the first EANZ certified home they built in 2011 to verify the home is in fact operating as designed – to produce as much or more energy than it uses annually.

The measures they included to reach Net Zero on this 1513 Sq. Ft. 3 Bed/2 bath home are:

Passive Solar Design for winter warming with overhangs for summer shading

• -50% of glazing is south facing

• Tight Building Shell: 1.5 ACH@50 Pa

Increased Insulation

• Ceiling: R 60

• Walls: R 50 (Achieved with 12” thick double 2X6 staggered stud walls)

• Floor: R 48

Efficient Lighting & Appliances

• Including 100% CFL & LEDs, daylighting, and ENERGY STAR appliances

HVAC:

• Ductless Heat Pump (EER 10.5, SEER 17.5)

• DHW: .93 EF with solar combination, tank in conditioned mechanical room

Energy Recovery Ventilation

• Whole house ERV system (73% Energy Recovery)

Triple Pane Windows

• (U -0.22 avg.) and 13.7% glazing (window sq. ft./floor area)

Solar PV and WH:

• 5350 kW PV system and solar water heating

Modeling and Consumption Results:

The energy model estimated the home to be 88% more energy efficient than an Oregon code-built home and to use 2756 kWh of energy annually. To help the homeowners achieve Net Zero energy use, Solaire equipped the home with an energy-monitoring device that continuously records the energy consumption on 16 circuits and reports the results in real time in a computer application. The table below shows the net energy use from the first two years of occupancy:

	Net Total annual kWh used
REM/RATE Estimate	2756 kwh
6/11-6/12	(-) 2714 kWh
6/12-6/13	(-) 1554 Kwh

Note: not “fully occupied” as modeled