University Students Open Doors To Incredible Net-Zero Energy Model Home
This net-zero model home in Wyoming, designed by students, was listed for $1 million.
According to the Cowboy State Daily, the first question most people ask is how does the home hold up in winter. The house has already been through a Wyoming winter, and it held up just fine.
In fact, even with zero power coming into it for several days during a test period, it maintained a temperature of 50 degrees just on existing heat in the home and passive solar heat coming in.
Savings On Energy Bills
Net zero energy refers to the situation where all of a home’s power needs are produced independent of a utility company’s power grid even if, as in this case, the home is connected to that grid.
The construction changes that accomplish this outcome add about 10% extra to the home’s upfront construction costs, said Denzer and faculty advisor John Gardzelewski.
They told Cowboy State Daily that the additional expense is paid off in energy savings within a roughly seven- to eight-year period, after which, energy is provided to the home for free.
Denzer estimates that not paying an energy bill is a net $150 to $300 a month deduction from housing costs.
So, even though up front the mortgage cost will be a little higher, the lack of energy bill more than makes up for what the rate would have been without the improvements. That means the overall net mortgage cost is lower than what it would have been without the improvements.
Gardzelewski and Denzer have linked University of Wyoming students with the design of no fewer than seven other net-zero or energy efficient homes in various locations across the Cowboy State to demonstrate these ideas using ordinary equipment and materials that are widely available in the construction industry.
“We created a research group and developed our own kind of Wyoming-focused project, starting with the home catalog of Zero Energy Homes,” Gardzelewski told Cowboy State Daily.
“We published that around 2015, and that led to a lot of projects where we incorporated usually one student working with, supervising (the students) with, a real client on a net zero or very close to net-zero home,” he said.
Along the way, Gardzelewski and Denzer met more builders in Wyoming with a similar interest, including Cory Toye of Timshel Construction, near Lander. Timshel Construction financed the student’s latest award-winning project as a spec home, and worked with the students to design it.