Page 26 - Green Builder September-October 2018 Issue
P. 26
Ready for zero. Greenhill Contracting’s
homes are all built to the Department of
Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home Annual Building Science Report 2019 EFFICIENCY MATTERS
program standards, which include
requirements for air, water, insulation
and solar energy.
COURTESY OF GREENHILL CONTRACTING
his search for a better building material led to insulated concrete
forms (IFCs). When an energy rater tested the home’s performance,
Example of he told Aebi he had just built the rst zero-energy home in the
Northeastern United States. Aebi soon signed on with the U.S.
Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program
and committed to building all of his homes to DOE’s criteria (see page
Efficiency ). Now years later, Aebi has certied homes through the
ZERH program (and nine homes through its predecessor, the DOE
Builders Challenge). Aebi routinely achieves Home Energy Rating
System (HERS) scores of under with photovoltaics, or under
For Greenhill Contracting, building when the renewable energy is not counted in the scoring. Most
zero-energy-capable homes are an typical new homes built to code would score about to .
The ,-square-foot home Aebi built on an empty lot in an
everyday thing. existing development in Gardiner, N.Y., scored a HERS without
PV, or HERS when PV is included. Homeowners can expect to save
BY GREEN BUILDER STAFF nearly $, per year in energy costs compared to a similar-sized
N EARLY YEARS AGO, homeowners of one of the GREEN BUILDING MASTER
home built to the state’s energy code.
nation’s rst zero-energy homes, built in the Green Acres
Aebi is more than willing to share the secrets of his success with
community in New Paltz, N.Y., posed the question, “Why
isn’t every home built this way?”
others in the homebuilding community. He has spoken at state
While many are still pondering that question, builder
Performance Coalition) conference, the New York State Green
Anthony Aebi of Greenhill Contracting in Esopus, N.Y., is doing his and regional conferences, including the regional ACI (now Home
part to make sure more homes are built that way. Building Conference and the Energy and Environmental Building
Aebi built his rst zero-energy home by accident in , when Alliance (EEBA) conference. He’s also met with representatives of
24 GREEN BUILDER September/October 2018 www.greenbuildermedia.com
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