Investigation of a New Zero-Energy Community

Today I went into Contra Costa County to investigate an infill community within a long-established neighborhood in the East Bay. The new development features 10 Zero-Energy Homes all priced around $2 million dollars. The majority of the homes are under construction still, and none are occupied yet although 5 have been sold already.
The homes include:

• Power: Passive solar, with a solar forced-air system (which uses water instead of gas to heat the air) and separate solar panels for water heating and electricity
  
• Interior: Bamboo and concrete flooring, double pane windows, aluminum backed plywood in the roof (for insulations, solar tubing in most rooms and closets (skylights) and Styrofoam-insulated walls
• Appliances: All appliances are energy-star certified.
• Water Use: Home features low-flow toilets and all drought tolerant plants.
  
• A Brand New Prius! (That's right. The home comes with a Prius!)
  

According to two contractors I spoke with, the community has been Gold Sealed by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which is their second highest approval rating.

I observed some of the on-site construction practices and was overall very impressed. The power-tools on site were all (apparently) using power from the solar panels on the existing homes, and nearly all the waste on site was recyclable.

(A power-saw drawing power from a solar home)

I was able to go into the attics of one of the homes and it was (due to efficient insulation) around 70 degrees, even though it was at least 90 outside.

My biggest question after observing the site was the impact of using Styrofoam insulation for so many different aspects of construction - not only was it used as insulation for the homes, but also for many of the molding-details, such as on fireplaces. Even though the homes are permanent structures, how was excess insulation or molding disposed of? While visiting the site, I found several pieces of discarded molding lying around, and even though they were not huge I questioned what the site looked like when the interior walls were being insulated. I will have to look further into this topic in a future post.

The contractors I spoke with said the developer was initially somewhat concerned with being able to sell these homes, since they were a noticeably higher price-point than the existing homes in the neighborhood, but these homes were newer and many of the buyers were convinced they would save exponentially in the long run (especially by being able to sell unused energy units back to PG&E). All things considered, in the current economy it is amazing that over half of these homes have sold already - something that CXP will definitely recognize.

If you would like to see other images from my visit to this new Community, click here:

Photo Gallery


Also, the home-builder's website is below:
http://www.clarum.com/HLE.html

Some links...

Here are some links for Residential Solar Panel installation:

An article about implementing solar in apartment communities
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/californias_fir.php

Pacific Gas & Electric Company's California Solar Initiative Website
http://www.pge.com/csi/

Go Solar California!: Information for Builders and Developers
http://gosolarcalifornia.com/builders/index.html

Sustainable Home Development, Construction, and Property Management: Project Intent

Project Intent
In the late 1970s, an environmentally sustainable community of homes in Davis, California was built called Village Homes. This community was the first of its kind and has remained one of the most valuable and sought-after places to live since its initial construction. In an age where Green awareness has saturated so many parts of our culture, it seems strange that nearly no other developers have copied the Village Homes’ model. The following is an investigation as to why this method of green home building has not yet caught on, and to help figure out how to encourage more home development companies to switch to this Green model. The eventual goal is to prove that this method of building is not only environmentally conscious, but also can help bolster sales and strengthen business for companies who subscribe to this new model.

The investigation will center around a Real Estate Development, Construction, and Property management firm in the San Francisco Bay Area we will call Company X Properties (or CXP). This business currently constructs, owns and manages residential apartment communities throughout California and is looking to possibly begin investing in home development and sales, if it proves to be profitable. As the situation stands already, CXP has many possibilities for retrofitting their apartments to include solar power, grey water systems, natural drainage, and low-water landscaping.

This project will research the following investigations and practices, which will be presented to CXP and its partners in the late Fall:

• The Village Homes Community in Davis, CA (which includes private residences and several green apartment complexes)
• The Costs and Benefits of Solar Power in an Apartment Community
• Why a recently constructed Green Community in the Bay Area is failing in initial sales
• How Green construction practices can easily and cost effectively be implemented in CXP’s current construction projects
• Why the adoption of a Green Business Model insures the company’s continued success in a changing market.