Sustainable Housing and the Net-Zero Home

Introduction

Fig. 1: Example of an energy-efficient home. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

In many countries the residential sector can account for an extremely large portion of energy consumption, more than the commercial sector. Homes can even use more energy for heating and electricity than what is consumed for automobiles. [1] As a result, there has been focus shifted to sustainable housing, housing with low or net-zero energy. Although there are many obstacles to design, build, and sustain green housing. Despite these obstacles, dedicating resources to lower energy consumption in the residential sector by creating net-zero and energy-efficient homes is greatly beneficial and can even be the future of design.

Current Energy

Currently in the United States, energy consumption in the residential sector in 2019 was 2.24 × 10¹⁹ joules (2.1236 × 10¹⁶ BTU). This is about 17% greater than the 1.912 × 10¹⁹ joules used in the commercial sector. [2] The trend of residential energy exceeding commercial energy consumption is consistent throughout several years. In 2019, only 8.7 × 10¹⁷ joules from the residential sector came from renewable energy - just 3.9% of the resiential energy consumption. This is incredibly low, considering the amount of energy the residential sector accounts for in comparison to overall energy consumption.

Net-Zero Housing

With the residential sector being such a large portion of energy consumption, one way to help reduce these everyday emissions is net-zero housing, an example of which is shown in Fig. 1. A net-zero building does not consume more energy than it produces and includes features such as solar panels, extra insulation, energy efficient appliances, and efficient heating. Not only can this reduce emissions, but it can also save money for the homeowner in the long run.

The Problems Faced

While it is feasible to be creating these net-zero homes, a large setback is society itself. While the home can be built to be sustainable, the residents must also adapt to this lifestyle. In addition, there are problems with the grid itself, with only a portion of the energy coming from renewable energy. [3] In addition, while it is possible to begin building new buildings that aim for this goal to be more green, it can be costly to refit already existing buildings with the elements needed to be more sustainable. Even when building a net-zero home, the cost upfront of solar panels alone can increase the price 6-12%, this is not including the other costs of making the home energy efficient. [3] Therefore there are incentives to go with the option that is cheaper upfront, instead of the energy efficient option.

Conclusion

Creating sustainable housing is important not only for the environment, but also for the community. Affordable housing with "green" renovations- water and energy conservation- led to a healthier, positive living environment for the residents. [4] While there has been progress made, the United States still has a way to go before we tackle the problem of sustainable housing.

© Autumn Warren. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.

References

[1] T. Strobel, "The Zero Energy Home," Physics 240, Stanford University, Fall 2015.

[2] "Monthly Energy Review, October 2020," U.S. Energy Information Administration, DOE/EIA-0035(2020/10), October 2020,

[3] N. Higgins-Dunn, "Net-Zero Energy Homes Have Arrived and Are Shaking Up the US Housing Market," CNBC, 14 Feb 19.

[4] J. Breysse et al., "Health Outcomes and Green Renovation of Affordable Housing," Public Health Rep. 126, Suppl. 1, 64 (2011).