Maienza-Wilson's current project, in addition to being slated for LEED for Homes Platinum certification is a Montecito, California beach house that will also be a net zero energy home. The concept of net zero is that a home generates the same amount of energy that it consumes on an annual basis. This is accomplished with the right combination of very efficient mechanical systems, lighting, building materials and appliance choices matched with properly sized solar systems to achieve an annual + net zero energy equilibrium.
The project team worked with David Knight and his team at Monterey Energy Group to create a beautiful home that will also have a light touch on the earth.
On the production side, the butterfly roof will hide 40 south facing solar photovoltaic panels, producing over 12,800 kWh (kilowatt hours) per year.
On the consumption side, spray-in foam insulation, high-performance windows and doors, an air to water heat pump for super efficient space conditioning and water heating, radiant floors, Energy Star appliances, and LED lights will make the home highly efficient so that the solar panels can provide all the power needed to run the home.
By being tied to the electric power grid, the home can actually feed power into the grid on bright, sunny days when it’s producing more than it needs to run the home and draw power at night and on rainy days when it needs more energy than it’s producing. By balancing the supply and demand of energy over time, the result is a net zero energy home.
Guest Post by:
Patsy Stadelman, AICP
Patsy is a Land Use Planner for Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP (http://bhfs.com/) in Santa Barbara, California and is on the Board of Directors for the California - Central Coast Section of the American Planning Association.
