by Eric Thomas, ArtemisiaCabin.com
How do people interested in building a zero-energy home get started? The process usually begins with a lot of online research. Over the course of building two net-zero homes, we’ve read a lot, learned a ton, and gathered a lot of resources. Below are some of the top websites and online resources for homeowners and building professionals looking to expand their knowledge of zero-energy building. Enjoy!
Zero-Energy Home Builders
- TC Legend Homes (Bellingham, WA)
- Clifton View Homes (Coupeville, WA)
- Hammer & Hand (Portland, OR)
- Mandalay Homes (Arizona)
- Mutual Housing (Sacramento, CA)
- Zero Net Now (Esopus, NY)
- BPC Green Builders (Wilton, CT)
- Paul Castrucci (New York, NY)
- Dwell Development (Seattle, WA)
- Addison Homes (Greer, SC)
- Insulsteel (Charleston, SC)
- Montpellier Construction (Plainfield, VT)
Zero-Energy Home Designers and Architects
- Ten Over Studio (San Luis Obispo, CA) The designers of Artemisia Cabin!
- Velocipede Architects (Seattle, WA)
- Zero-Energy Plans (Coupeville, WA) Stock plans designed for net-zero.
- Rodwin Architecture (Boulder, CO)
- Playhouse Design Group
Zero-Energy Home Directories
Zero-Energy Home Projects and Blogs
- Artemisia Cabin (Winthrop, WA) Possibly the first net-zero nightly rental.
- Ballard Net-Zero House (Seattle, WA)
- Vision House (Tucson, AZ)
- Edge House (Boulder, CO)
- Vivint Zero Home (Herriman, UT)
- Invision Zero Home
- Desert Rain House
- Net Hope Project
- Karuna Passive House
- O2 Haus
- Painted Hills Ranger Station
- Full Plane Passive House (Portland, OR)
- Trekhaus (Portland, OR)
- Net Zero Home (Charlotte, VT)
- zHome (Issaquah, WA)
Zero-Energy House Video Resources
- 12 Essential Steps to Zero Energy An excellent intro video by Ted Clifton Sr., the designer of our Seattle house.
Definitions of Net-Zero
- Green Building Advisor Glossary Has tons of definitions of terms you’ll encounter over the course of your project.
- Wikipedia Of course!
Case Studies
- The Results Of A 1-Year Net-Zero-Energy Home Case Study
- DPR Construction’s Phoenix Regional Office
- IDeAz Z2 Design Facility (San Jose, CA)
- David & Lucile Packard Foundation Headquarters (Los Altos, CA)
- Zero Energy House (Auckland, New Zeland)
- American Samoa EPA Office (Utulei, American Samoa)
- Center for Sustainable Landscapes (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Willowbrook House (Austin, TX)
- Zero Cottage (San Francisco, CA)
- Hood River Middle School Music and Science Building (Hood River, OR)
- Sacred Heart Lower and Middle School Stevens Library (Atherton, CA)
- Mission Zero House (Ann Arbor, MI)
- West Berkeley Public Library (Berkeley, CA)
- Brookside Development (Derby, CT)
- Caldwell and Johnson (Charlestown, RI)
- Greenhill Contracting (New Paltz, NY)
- Healthy Efficient Homes (Spirit Lake, IA)
Award-Winning Zero-Energy Homes
- Johns Island Custom by Amerisips Homes (Charleston, SC)
- Eco-Village Ithica by Aquazephyr (Ithica, NY)
- Lakeside Cottage by BPC Green Builders (Wilton, CT)
- Zed 2 by Boulder Zed Design Build (Boulder, CO)
- Candlewood Hills Rebuild by BPC Green Builders (Wilton, CT)
- Singer Village by Brookside Development (Woodbridge, CT)
- Edies Lane House by Caldwell and Johnson (North Kingston, RI)
- Clinton Two-Story by Clifton View Homes (Coupeville, WA)
- Isler Residence by Clifton View Homes (Coupeville, WA)
- First DOE Zero Energy Retrofit by Green Extreme Homes (Lewisville, TX)
- The Preserve by Greenhill Contracting (Esopus, NY)
- Laurel Gardens by Habitat for Humanity (Sarasota, FL)
- Double Zerohouse by KB Homes (Los Angeles, CA)
- Proud Green Home by the Imery Group (Athens, GA)
Home Tours
Prefab Zero-Energy Homes
Net-Zero Certification Programs
This list is a little bit scrappy and definitely incomplete, but we hope it provides you with plenty of inspiration and information as you tackle your own green building project.