Consumers Continue to Be a Magnet to New Technologies

According to the US Department of Energy, approximately 130 million residential and commercial buildings consume 39% of the nation's energy and 74% of the electricity. This energy usage significantly contributes to peak demand in certain regions during high-demand seasons. These buildings are responsible for about 35% of the country's carbon emissions. These emissions stem from direct sources, such as heating homes and offices with fossil fuels, and indirect sources, like power plants generating electricity for these buildings.

?Parks Associates research shows consumers continue to be a magnet to new technology. Now, the average internet household has more than 16 connected devices, and 30% have an adult who works from home at least once a week. In addition, 16% of households own a smart thermostat and many are looking to reduce their energy consumption. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 15% of household energy is from lighting, and a third of the electricity used is from the heating/cooling systems in the home.

?Advanced technologies in homes enable the ability to control energy usage and reduce energy consumption. ??

Enter the ZNE home:

?A ZNE home, also referred to as a Zero Energy Building, Zero Energy Ready Home is a home that consumes no more energy than it produces in a year. To achieve this, ZNE homes are extremely efficient, leveraging cutting-edge building materials and methods, smart thermostats, and energy-efficient appliances to keep the home's energy consumption as low as possible without seriously inconveniencing the homeowner.

?ZNE homes also produce their own energy from renewable sources. In the most common scenario, photo voltaic (P.V.) panels capture energy from the sun and convert it to electric energy. The solar energy produced offsets the energy the home typically uses.

In addition to benefits to the environment and society, ZNE homes also benefit the owner in particular:

• ?Save money

A ZNE home incurs no additional electricity costs from a service provider. This is made possible by the low energy consumption overall and solar generation during sunny hours of the day. The cost of electricity consumed at night is offset by credits from the electricity provider generated by the solar panels. When the home solar system makes more energy than the household needs at a given time, there is the opportunity in 17 states to sell surplus power back to the grid.

?62% of internet households say electricity costs are too high

?No large demographic group, including high-income families, have fewer than 55% complaining of electricity costs. A ZNE home would eliminate this concern and result in real savings. The average cost of electricity for an internet household is around $150 per month, so the annual savings for many homes would exceed $2,000.

• Foster energy security, resilience, and even independence

A core challenge of achieving ZNE is the homeowner's energy consumption is misaligned with the home's energy production. Energy production can be higher or lower than energy consumption, depending on the time of day, day of the week, or season. With the inclusion of battery storage, a ZNE will allow households to maintain normal electricity during longer blackout periods compared to homes with only some of the ZNE features (energy-efficient envelope, home automation, solar, etc).

These homes are also well-positioned to be set up for "islanding" or complete independence from the electrical grid, either by including a large gas-burning generator or batteries to power the home when the sun isn't shining. These additions would be costly, but for consumers with the means and motivation, the energy-efficient build of ZNE homes and the frequent inclusion of home automation could help the solar, generator, and battery power sources handle all the household's energy needs.

This is an excerpt from a recent white paper published by Parks Associates, Building Net Zero Homes with Home Management Systems. Advanced technologies in homes enable the ability to control energy usage and reduce energy consumption.

This white paper examines the drivers for ZNE homes, current market conditions driving demand, and the role of smart and automated tech in expanding the ZNE concept to a wider market. The paper includes an overview of a ZNE project as part of the Build Show, a streaming content leader for home construction.