Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Standards
As the area’s largest buyer’s agency, we work to keep up with technology improvements in home construction. As an example, at a recemt staff meeting we talked in detail about the newer energy-efficient mini-split heat pumps that are being used by a luxury home builder in our market.
Most Zero Energy (ZE) homes in our area use cold climate heat pumps as their primary heat source. If you have enough solar panels and a good insulation plan that is becoming almost practical. But it takes a lot of design work to build a Zero Energy home.
There is now an alternative.Today I just watched a presentation on Zero Energy Ready (ZER) homes.
A Zero Energy Ready home is a home with a number of specific features that make it more efficient and provide better indoor air quality. It typically isn’t zero energy when it is built, but it is ready to become a zero-energy home with certain upgrades.
Air Quality:
1. Contaminate Resistant Construction
2. A Fresh Air System
3. High capture filtration technologies
Energy Efficiency:
1. Maximum Protection Construction
2. Advanced Technologies for heating, cooling, humidity control, and solar-ready options for power generation
3. Performance verification
The Zero Energy Ready program comes from our Federal Government and the Department of Energy. It is primarily to new home builders but the thought is that existing homes that are modified to be close to zero energy might benefit from being rated before they go on the resale market. That way the measurements and improvements will be better understood by home buyers coming into the market.
As the area’s largest and oldest buyer’s brokerage we work to keep our agents informed to help our buyers make informed decisions