ISSAQUAH, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The nation's first Net Zero Energy townhome complex in Issaquah, Wash. meets expectations on reducing energy and water consumption, according to a newly released white paper by Built Green™, an environmentally-friendly, non-profit residential building program of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. Here are some of the findings:
1. Over 562.8 kWh was generated above what zHome consumed, and was put back onto the grid between April 2013 and April 2015.
2. zHome exceeded net zero energy by 3.5 percent, or almost $54 worth of electricity.
3. PV arrays range from 4.8 kW to 7.2 kW and performed 24 percent better than modeled.
4. The goal of reducing water consumption by 70 percent was achieved. The average zHome per capita daily consumption was 16.07 gallons from the utility and 11.46 gallons of rain water.
5. zHome is built from recycled, reclaimed and FSC-certified wood materials. Everything inside the home is low- or non-toxic.
6. All zHome units sold at slightly above standard prices for the time and area, despite going on the market at the tail end of the Great Recession.
zHome was built in the Seattle suburb of Issaquah, Wash. in 2011 by a private developer, Ichijo USA, in collaboration with the City of Issaquah and Port Blakely Communities, which provided a site for both affordable housing run by the YWCA and the zHome project. Additional partners included Puget Sound Energy, a local utility, as well as the Washington State University Energy Office and King County. To obtain a copy of the White Paper, here’s the link: http://www.builtgreen.net/library/zhomewhitepaper.pdf
About Built Green™
Built Green™ is an environmentally-friendly, non-profit, residential building program of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, developed in partnership with King County, Snohomish County, and other agencies in Washington state to set standards of excellence that can make a significant impact on housing, health and the environment.
