A Suburban Experiment Aims for Energy Grid-Independent Homes

With thousands more in the pipeline, said Sam Rashkin, chief architect of the building technologies office, the department expects to certify roughly 1,000 this year and 3,000 in 2017.

"We're on that inflection point on the growth curve," he said. "We're proving the business case to a growing number of builders in key pockets of construction around the country. It takes some really good examples by leading builders to showcase just how cost-effective and technically achievable these specifications are."

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[Electric Power Research Institute, a nonprofit utility-funded group that is conducting the study on zero-energy homes] found a willing collaborator in Meritage, a leading builder of energy-efficient homes, and are expanding the test program to additional subdivisions in Southern California, the Central Valley and the Bay Area.

For buyers, part of the appeal of a home built to be zero-energy is that they do not have to change their behavior to save energy.

At Meritage, the company insulates every house with spray foam, sharply reducing the amount of heating and cooling needed, and allowing smaller or fewer units to be installed. Making the homes even more efficient are dual-pane windows that help retain or keep out heat (depending on the need), LED lighting and advanced water heaters that work by funneling heat from the ambient air into the water.

All of the test homes have SunPower rooftop solar systems, which are among the most efficient on the market. And because they were designed along with the houses, the arrays can be oriented for maximum production.

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