Some builders, motivated by rising demand from buyers and state and local regulators, are designing net-zero energy homes for the mass market. The Southwest is the area where this is most economical. Costs to construct net-zero homes in the Northeast and Midwest, where sunshine isn’t as strong in areas like the Southwest, are higher.
Homeowners in less sunny regions have to install more solar panels to generate the same amount of electricity as a home in the Southwest with fewer panels. A KB Home executive estimates that it can cost $6,000 to $12,000 more for a solar-power system in the Northeast than in the Southwest to achieve the same amount of electricity output.
Advertisement
Related Stories
Codes + Standards
Public Comment Period Opens for National Green Building Standard Updates
The 45-day public comment period for draft 2 of the 2024 NGBS begins on April 12, 2024
Codes + Standards
Public Comment Period Opens for 2024 National Green Building Standard Update
The 45-day public comment period opened Aug. 18, and comments must be submitted by Oct. 2, 2023
Codes + Standards
The Inefficiencies of the Latest Energy Code
The 2021 edition of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) hampers the return on investment for builders and homebuyers