To most Americans, living in an ecofriendly smart house seems like a far-fetched, expensive idea. Building homes that use less energy tends to add significant costs. Ironically, many of the homes that offer the advantages of low operating costs are affordable
To most Americans, living in an ecofriendly smart house seems like a far-fetched, expensive idea. Building homes that use less energy tends to add significant costs. Ironically, many of the homes that offer the advantages of low operating costs are affordable only for the 1 percent.
That’s changing, slowly. And this week, two Utah-based companies, Garbett Homes and Vivint, introduced what they say is an affordable, scalable, completely sustainable living space. With the Zero House, which starts at about $350,000, they are introducing an energy-independent smart house that, while far from cheap, may be affordable.
The Zero House is modeled after the “passive house” or “net zero” style of home construction, which is nothing new on the architectural scene. Using tight insulation, renewable energy sources, and strategic design, these houses can keep carbon impact to a minimum while virtually eliminating utility bills. Even in climates with cold winters and warm summers, they require little in the way of heating and cooling. The first passive structures were created in Germany in 1990, and have since taken off in Europe. The Passivhaus Institut estimates there are now over 25,000 net-zero homes and buildings on the continent, where ample government subsidies have offset the impact of increased building costs. In the United States, however, the higher costs associated with turning homes into airtight, power-generating envelopes have turned people off. Only 13 American passive homes have been built since 2003.
By offering a noncustom and replicable model, Garbett and Vivint are hoping to change this trend and bring the passive house to the masses. Garbett, a production homebuilder in Salt Lake City that specializes in highly sustainable residences, handled the physical framing and building of the Zero House. According to Rene Oehlerking, marketing director for Garbett, the company has twin motivations. “We care about utility costs; our driver on that side is to try and get the utility cost down to zero,” he said. “And we believe what we are doing is alleviating our dependence on fossil fuels.” Thus far, says Oehlerking, the company has been successful: people in Garbett homes are “getting power bills as low as $5 a month.”
The Zero House is similarly efficient, only more so. Using spray foam and blow-in insulation, Garbett ensures that moisture and airflows in and out of the house are tightly controlled. That enables the homes to eliminate much of the need for heating and cooling. Combined with low-flow faucets and low-maintenance building materials, this system creates a virtually waste-free environment for heating and cooling.
Equally important to the Zero House’s energy inde