Ultimate Z.E.N. Home

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EEBA is proud to announce a partnership with Pro Builder and Thrive Home Builders to bring The Ultimate Z.E.N. (Zero Energy Now) Home to this year’s High Performance Home Summit. The 2400-2600 sq ft “eco-luxury” model will be built on a 53’x80’ lot and will aim for LEED Gold certification, EPA ENERGY STAR and Indoor airPLUS and healthy home standards. The project will be completely electrified and decarbonized. This model will be used for an additional 33 homes in the development.

"We hope that this home, being a model for a community with the same base specifications, shows that homes like these do not need to be one-off demonstration homes but that they can be a successful home series delivered in a competitive marketplace," says Bill Rectanus, VP of Homebuilding Operations at Thrive Home Builders.

As a leader in the home building industry, Thrive Home Builders has been providing the Colorado single family home market with energy efficient homes for over 25 years. Year after year they have received national recognition for their dedication to building sustainably. Their Z.E.N. product line is already certified by the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home program.

“We are excited to partner with Pro Builder and Thrive Home Builders to bring the Ultimate Z.E.N. Home to attendees of our EEBA Summit,” says EEBA CEO, Aaron Smith. “The project will act as a beacon for sharing cutting edge net zero practices and education to high performance home builders everywhere.”

The 4-bedroom demonstration home will have a focus on health and sustainability. It will feature a HERS Score of 15 or less and utilize a battery storage system, a Wiser Energy Smart Home Monitor system from Square D, advanced lighting, HVAC controls, air quality sensors, as well as Thrive’s signature “clean room” that was developed to reinforce the healthy pillar of their brand - efficient, healthy, and local. This brand pillar begins with EPA Indoor airPLUS certification and is bolstered by fully active radon systems, advanced MERV 16 air filtration, and ERV ventilation.

"These features live in our mechanical rooms and are designed to provide consistent clean healthy air to the home," says Rectanus. "Most builders do not pay attention to this area of the house as it tends to become just another storage area. At Thrive we believe this room is the lungs of the house and should be designed to show off the advanced clean air features that live there. We designed this room to be drywalled and painted with a clean sealed floor to emphasize the importance of these home features and reinforce the healthy indoor atmosphere they are designed to create."

Pro Builder will cover the project throughout construction, culminating in a feature story in December 2020. The home will debut during EEBA’s High Performance Home Summit in Denver, Colorado September 29 through October 9 and will be open for one year.

Products

A pillar of the Ultimate Zero Energy Now (Z.E.N.) Home is Sustainability, including the building products Thrive Home Builders will use to deliver durability, resilience, and waste reduction. Here's how:

Aprilaire’s high-efficiency air filter needs to be replaced less often. The extensive filter surface also reduces stress on the furnace air handling unit, helping to extend its life and efficiency.

DuPont's Tyvek DrainWrap is impermeable to liquid water, features vertical grooves to shed water away from the wall, and vents water vapor to mitigate mold and rot.

LP SmartSide exterior siding and trim is made from fast-growing trees harvested to Sustainable Forestry Initiative standards, uses 99% of the wood fiber, and resists termites and fungal decay.

The home’s heating and cooling system is an electric heat pump from Mitsubishi with no gas backup heat to reduce the transportation and burning of fossil fuel. And, 83% of what’s used to make the unit is recyclable.

Panasonic's ventilation fan housings are made from an environmentally friendly zinc, aluminum and magnesium material using a process that limits toxic substances. The fans feature a metal flange that helps keep air and moisture from leaking into framing cavities.

Samsung Electronics America’s commitment to environmental stewardship is well documented, with product efficiency improvements mitigating an estimated 243 million tons of CO2 emissions since 2009.

Xcel Energy is committed to sustainability on a utility scale with a ten-year goal of 80% carbon-free power generation that relies more heavily on renewables, like wind and solar.