Page 61 - Green Builder MagazineJan-Feb 2019 HOTY Issue

Loud as a Sustainable Community
HOME OF THE YEAR AWARDS

2019

Whisper

This giant net-zero-ready community brings

geothermal energy to a new high.

BY GREEN BUILDER STAFF
O UNDERSTAND THE SUCCESS of the Whisper Valley community in Austin, Texas,
one has to look underground: The project’s geothermal loop energy supply system,
GeoGrid, reduces each home’s energy consumption by 65 to 70 percent, cutting monthly
heating costs by about 80 percent.
Combined with photovoltaic panels and products such as Nest thermostats and
T Bosch appliances, all 7,500 houses currently in or planned for Whisper Valley are
net-zero capable and are consistently HERS rated in the teens and low 20s, far below the new
construction industry standard of about a 60 rating.

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