LIVERMORE, CA — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that the first home in the nation to be built under its new “Zero Energy Homes” program is scheduled to be completed soon. The DOE and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have joined with Davis Energy Group and Centex Homes to construct the home in the Los Olivos development here in Livermore.
A Zero Energy Home is designed to combine solar energy technologies with advanced energy-efficient construction. Like almost all homes, it is connected to the utility grid. But because the goal is to produce as much energy as it consumes, the home is considered to achieve “net-zero” energy consumption. (See related story in The News, July 22, 2002, page 5.)