Zero-Carbon Homes: What’s It Like to Live in One?
Zero-carbon homes, while currently costly for the consumer, provide no cost to the environment.
According to KCRW, reclaimed wood, low-carbon concrete, solar panels, and batteries make this home’s carbon footprint net-zero.
Let’s start at the bottom.
The concrete foundation – traditionally one of the most carbon-intensive parts of a home – has just over half the carbon emissions of standard concrete. “It’s stronger and better than conventional concrete,” says the home’s developer, Scott Morris.
There were carbon emissions in making that concrete, yes, but those are canceled out by carbon-negative parts of the home, like the wooden deck.The “fireplace” doesn’t feel warm when you stick your hand in the “flames.” Photo by Caleigh Wells.
The fireplace isn’t actually burning wood and releasing carbon. It’s a convincing display of LED lights and water vapor. The ceiling and outdoor decks are made from recycled or reclaimed wood in California that’s certified as sustainably sourced.
The best part?
“It’s really important for people to know that a lot of the low-hanging fruit items, such as concrete, is cost-neutral,” Morris explains. That means it doesn’t cost more to build than the traditional alternative.
Which is why, no, you don’t need tens of millions in your housing budget to build a zero-carbon home.
There’s a much humbler, 2000-square-foot home in a quiet Ventura neighborhood that’s just as eco-friendly as the one in Malibu. It looks like all the homes nearby. “We wanted it to look as normal as it could to essentially appeal to anybody that would want to live in a neighborhood like this,” says design architect Dylan Johnson, who built the house.
There’s a clue to what’s different about the house behind a small peekaboo door in the hallway wall.