January 25, 2024

Heat Pump Clothes Dryers: Low-Impact Laundry

Heat pump clothes dryers are an exciting, relatively new electrification technology. One can cut perhaps 10% of your household energy use.

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January 19, 2023

Electrifying? You May Not Need an Electrical Panel Upgrade

Abandoning gas for all-electric appliances? The electrical panel is the unsung hero of any home electrification project.

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January 2, 2023

Cold Climate Heat Pumps Warm Homes on the Coldest Days

We know that decarbonization requires electrifiction, and we know that heat pumps work in many situations. But many people still wonder: Will heat pumps work in cold temperatures?

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September 22, 2022

Highlighting Useful Technologies for Getting to Zero: The New Zero Energy Project Product Directory

Building materials and equipment play a key role in the efficiency and affordability of zero energy buildings. This is why we’re proud to introduce the Zero Energy Project Product Directory to help builders identify appropriate products and to stimulate the supply chain to provide products that will draw the building sector toward greater energy efficiency.

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January 14, 2022

My Net Zero Home Got Me Through a Wisconsin Winter — Here’s What I Learned

When Amber Westerman Set Out to Build a Net-Zero House, She Knew the Design Had to be Small and Smart.

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August 6, 2021

Financing Energy-Efficient Housing on a Massive Scale 

There is one major obstacle to the widespread transition to zero energy homes: The mortgage industry has been slow to recognize their higher market value and reluctant to finance the additional upfront cost of financially sound energy efficiency features. One solution is a system to create mortgage backed securities specifically for energy efficient homes. 

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July 19, 2021

Simple Steps to Maintain Zero Energy Home Appliances

Zero energy homes have many advanced features and systems. After you have your very own zero energy home, you’ll want to keep it operating at peak efficiency. Fortunately, home maintenance for these homes is not more difficult or time consuming than for conventional homes.  

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June 14, 2021

Low Carbon Kitchens

Whether you’re building a new home or replacing worn out appliances, you’ll want to choose products that reduce energy use and your carbon footprint. Some choices are just improved versions of familiar products, and other options may be completely new. Make your next kitchen a 21st century kitchen — ready for our zero carbon future.

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June 14, 2021

Products Used to Get to Zero

You can’t build or remodel a home on the path to zero without buying suitable materials and equipment. That’s why the Zero Energy Project offers a select list of product ideas that can smooth your path to zero. Check out the new products that have been recently added to the Zero Energy Product Directory!

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June 9, 2021

The Mythical Threat to Double-Stud Walls

When choosing a high-performance wall assembly, you have many choices. One of them is to build double-stud walls. The double-stud wall approach sometimes raises the concern that it will lead to mold growth and wood rot. Is this fear based in reality? Green Building Advisor checked it out and found that wood-moisture content and seasonal temperature fluctuations do not seem to create moisture problems in double-stud walls.

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April 8, 2021

Millennials in a Housing Crisis

Homeownership has been the core of the mythical American Dream, but it has been slow to take hold within the millennial generation. Perhaps the housing sector has not been meeting their needs for small, energy efficient, well connected homes. Well planned zero energy homes can make homeownership more accessible to millennials.

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March 18, 2021

Factory-built Homes — Another Path to Zero

The future of residential construction will include more factory buildings. BrightBuilt Home builds modular homes that are modern, durable, and zero energy ready. The precision of factory construction is a perfect match for zero energy homes, and BrightBuilt has been building zero energy homes this way since 2010.

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