EEBA's High Performance Home Blog

For the last five years, Team Zero, also known as the Net Zero Energy Coalition, has been collecting data on Zero Energy residential buildings in the US and Canada. Together, this group of non-profits, industry stakeholders, and associations are collaborating to focus their “zero-related ambitions” on broad industry-led national awareness of Zero Energy. Inventory collection for 2019 will end on August 15, 2020. Eligible projects include: Single–family and multifamily homes New, retrofit, or combined Projects in planning, design, or construction phase, or completed Near-zero, zero-energy-ready, ZNE, or net positive projects If you’re unsure if your project is eligible, simply upload the project data and you will be advised if they need more information. You can quickly and easily enter your project information into their secure database. New this year, the database will be collecting additional information on solar adoption, fuel choices, and trends on... read more

This article can be found on the EnergyLogic website here Continuing the Discussion As introduced in last week’s blog, we’re further exploring income inequality and its effects on housing attainability. Read on below to hear more about what we and others think can be done to reach this important objective. Change may be more achievable during this period of disruption. Don’t Defer the Dream In 1990 as President of the Denver Home Builders Association and the Colorado President for what is now Lennar, I negotiated a groundbreaking agreement with the Federal Housing Administration to ensure that new homes were marketed without prejudice to all regardless of race or national origin. This agreement gained unanimous approval of the HBA’s Board of Directors because it was the right thing to do. We saw evidence of fair marketing practices become mainstream in advertising and direct contact with potential homebuyers. It seemed to me that we were making a lot of progress, as... read more

Adding energy storage to your home is, in many ways, surprisingly similar to buying a car. If I’m like most people, I’d look at quality and reliability, safety, and functionality — among other factors — before choosing my car. Price is typically not the primary concern, otherwise we would see the Chevy Spark outnumber other car models on the streets. When purchasing energy storage, you should use similar criteria to find the right solution for your home. Let’s take a closer look at each of these considerations and how to interpret them when shopping for home battery solutions. QUALITY AND RELIABILITY Nobody likes it when their car breaks down unexpectedly or must be taken in for service. Dealing with these issues costs you time, energy, and money. Thankfully, the right energy storage system can reduce these worries, or eliminate them altogether. By using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry, sonnen can provide the highest-quality and longest-lasting residential storage ... read more

Solar PV Installations Habitat for Humanity of Macon was recently awarded a $60,000 grant to install solar panels on 5 homes. In collaboration with Mercer University, funds were awarded by the All Points North Foundation to install low-cost grid-tied rooftop solar PV systems at no cost to homeowners. The PV systems should “offset 80-100 percent of each home’s annual energy needs, saving an estimated 6,400-kilowatt-hours of fossil fuel-sourced electricity, resulting in nearly $1,000 in savings per year for each homeowner.” The partnership with Mercer University’s Engineering for Development Program will allow students to have exposure to both Habitat for Humanity construction projects as well as the design and installation of solar PV systems. Improving Energy Security As part of the U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program (SEP) grants, Habitat for Humanity in Kentucky recently received $67,000 to improve energy security and “support low-income families through... read more