Net-Zero-Energy Home
Impressive Green Ideas on the AIA's Dallas Tour of Homes
Have you ever heard of a home that, rather than taking electricity from the electric grid, actually gives it back? Such an oddity does exist, as evidenced by the American Institute of Architect’s Dallas Tour of Homes. One of the nine homes visited on the tour is the first client-commissioned net-zero-energy home in Texas.
How is this possible? On sunny days, the home’s solar panels produce more electricity than is needed to power the house, so the extra electricity is fed back into the grid for others to use. The amount fed back into the grid is more than the amount of power the home takes from the grid over the course of a year.
The home also has other energy-saving features that protect the interior of the home from exterior temperature swings. This past summer the homeowners paid nothing in electricity bills.
This impressively green home was one of several showcased on the tour, which was aimed at highlighting unique architectural designs and introducing the projects to the general public.