An Energy Star Zero Energy Ready home for the same cost as a standard home? Sign me up! Energy Star ZERH homes can save thousands of $$ in energy bills in the first 5 years off the home, tens of thousands of $$ over 30 years. Plus saving money = saving C02 emissions!

In the last post about How to Build an Energy Efficient Home I went over the how the EcoSmart™ Stud (ESS) met all the exterior wall requirements for the Energy Star and ZERH programs.  There are other walls systems that also meet the requirements for these programs so the question was what is the big deal about the ESS? I pointed out that it was COST in big bold letters. I hinted that the difference in COST was BIG!

Well, when you reduce the cost of building the exterior wall required for these programs by about 2/3 it’s a BIG deal! Now the Federal rebates go a lot farther! Combine the Federal rebates with some of the local utility rebates available for building energy efficient homes and now rebates that were designed to pay for part of the extra upgrade costs can pay for ALL the extra upgrade costs!

Here in MN since we are Xcel and CenterPoint Energy territories, the combined Federal and Utility rebates here can total up to $12,000 per home!

That $12,000 can cover the extra upgrade cost for the ESS exterior wall system, upgraded attic and basement insulation, upgraded windows, heat pump water heater, thermostat, etc.… for the average 2300 sq ft new home!

Also, all the other benefits of using the ESS comes along at no extra cost! ESS wall systems are stronger, more resilient , and more environmentally responsible.

With all the money you save from building Net Zero Ready you can then take the next step to a Net Zero Home!

*2300 sq ft or under home with specific program component selections.