Zero Energy Home (ZEH)

Nevada Southwest Energy Partnership (NSWEP), Pinnacle Homes, NREL, and the Center for Energy Research joined with ConSol and Nevada Power and built a home that produces as much power as it uses.

This is a 1610 sq. ft. single family residence which is the average size home for Las Vegas. There are 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, family room, dining room, two car garage, and a patio. Most of these features are in every home however the structure is very different. The walls are pre cast concrete which can bring the insulation grade up to R-38 which is significantly higher than the average household having R-16. These walls have three layers to them with the outer layers being concrete and foam in the center. Also the home has only 3 windows total on the east and west side preventing a large amount of heat from entering the home. In addition to window placement, spectrally selective glass was used for all the windows which lets visible light through but keeps the solar heat gain out. This lowers the amount of heat traveling through the windows thus saving energy. Due to the efficiency of the insulation and windows a smaller heating and cooling system can be used. The house will face north/south with the front north to the street. On the south side of the roof of the home a 5.0kW photovoltaic system will be installed. These are integrated solar panels that blend in with the roof tiles. These are a source of power throughout the year. In cool months this PV system will be able to produce more power than the home uses and put the power not used in the power grid, but in the summer months the home will use more than the PV system can produce. At the end of the fiscal year the home will have used as much power as it produced all year. This home will also save energy in the water heating. On the south side of the roof close to the ridge there will be a 50 gallon solar water heater. This water heater will supply the whole home with hot water. For the days when the weather is not warm enough there is a tank less electric water heater which will turn on automatically. A picture of this home is below on the right hand side.

On the left side of the Zero Energy Home is another house with the exact same design but without all of the energy efficient upgrades. Sensors have been placed throughout both houses so that a study can be done on the energy efficient upgrades. This study will be done for 18 months and then will be up for sale.

The image below is of the south side of the home to show what the photovoltaic system and solar water heater look like. The PV system is made by General Electric and is a roof integrated system that blends into the roof better than other systems.

For more information visit www.zeh.unlv.edu.