Thanks to everyone who joined NESEA for the first event of the 2018 BuildingEnergy Pro Tour Series, featuring a net-zero-ready home on the Vermont/New Hampshire border.  This production-built home is situated in a small development of net-zero-ready houses, all with a focus on affordability and universal design principles.

Hosted by Fine Homebuilding magazine, this tour featured the latest project from the magazine’s ProHOME program. Houses in this program are single-family residences specifically designed to serve as teaching tools for builders and designers, making them ideal sites for Pro Tours.  Attendees will had a chance to explore the home and ask questions of the team behind the project throughout the event.

The home’s design is intended to be quickly built and easily duplicated while meeting stringent air-sealing and performance standards and a strict budget. To remain competitive in their market, the houses in this area need to sell at approximately $140 per sq. ft., even considering the lower heating and cooling costs of a net-zero house, so it is critical to drive construction costs as low as possible while maintaining performance.  Members of the project team explained the strategies they used to balance their energy and budget goals as they lead event attendees through the building, explaining design decisions, building practices, and material and equipment choices. 

Site Details

• Units: 1
• Square Footage: 1,800
• Type of construction: New
• PV-ready; designed to offset 100% of on-site energy demand
• Zehnder HRV provides fresh air and maintains interior temperatures
• Cottage style with flexibility designed into the floor plan for aging in place or evolving family dynamics
• Engineered lumber is used in the balloon-framed, double-stud wall system

Schedule

If you have questions about this event, you can contact Florence at fmacgregor@nesea.org or 413-774-6051 x10.