Green Architecture

Modern residential buildings use an enormous amount of energy, mostly sourced from fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil, and coal to power the heating, cooling, and conveniences of the 21^st century home. All of this energy comes at a large economic and environmental cost that is continuing to rise and impact the health, flourishing, and well-being of humans and the natural world. But with current technology, houses can be built (or retrofitted) to be far more energy efficient and produce on-site as much energy as they use, a target known as residential net zero. Utilizing smart design principles, advanced construction materials, super insulated building envelopes, and computer modeling technologies, homes can drive down the amount of energy they use daily. These efficiency gains are then met with the implementation of renewable energy systems such as solar photovoltaic arrays, wind powered turbines, and geothermal to meet or exceed the energy needs of the residential dwelling.

Net zero houses significantly reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, generate lower greenhouse gas emissions over the life of the building, and could be part of a larger solution to protecting the environment for future generations. All of this can be achieved with existing technology. Mainstream adoption of these principles, even partially, will help secure a brighter tomorrow for humanity and life across the planet.

Key Considerations

Enhance Energy Efficiency

• Orient buildings and glazing towards the sun to capture passive solar energy.
• Super insulate buildings, reducing the amount of energy required for heating and cooling.
• Use modern HVAC systems, hot water heaters, and appliances that require less energy.
• Choose building materials that are durable, long-lasting, and well suited for the local environment.
• Build smarter, smaller, sustainable homes.

On-site Power Generation

• Solar Photovoltaics (Roof-top solar arrays – Panels of solar cells angled toward the sun)
• Wind Energy (Wind turbines – Converting atmospheric wind to mechanical energy)
• Geothermal (Geothermal heat pumps – Heat exchange from underground pipe systems)

Net Zero

The fundamental methodology for achieving residential net zero is the pursuit of balancing inputs (power generation) to match or exceed outputs (energy demand) of the residence at the site. The design of such a system needs to consider the health and safety of the plan, upfront capital outlays and maintenance costs, climate applicability and availability of technology, and environmental impacts of the approach.

The techniques and materials utilized for achieving net zero vary depending on the climate the house is being built for and the budget of the project. But the solutions necessary to solve local climate challenges once identified can be replicated at scale, to positively impact entire regions. In spite of these benefits, there currently are few net zero homes in the United States. The disconnect is multi-faceted, due to lack of awareness in net zero capacity and initiatives, insufficient long-term thinking, and difficulties in finding builders and designers that are familiar with net zero residential architecture construction. Further efforts need to be made towards making the public aware of the benefits of this way of building.

From a practitioner standpoint, there are engineering calculations to determine the load requirements of the systems that power the house as well as for the potential generation capacity of renewable energy sources at the site level. Building construction in the United States is governed by local building codes, which set the minimum standards for building requirements. Using these figures as benchmarks it is possible to extrapolate what would be required to improve the status quo to the point of net zero efficiency. Enhanced code alternatives could allow homeowners to not only produce as much energy as they need but generate additional energy to sell back to the electric grid and improve energy reliability/availability across the whole system.