Clark and Colleen Reed started their journey to NetZero with a drafty fixer-upper in Rockville. When they bought the 1,200 square foot 2-bedroom single-family home in 2002, they knew they were going to make some changes to the house, a model first mass produced, as Clark describes it, “in the cheapest way possible” for World War II veterans, in Levittown, New York, and later adopted in other American suburbs.
Clark had just started a career with the Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Program, a joint program with the Department of Energy (DOE) to save energy and protect the environment.
He is now a National Program Manager. A few years ago, he worked on planning aimed at how Energy Star could remain relevant through 2050.
“As I started hearing about how we were thinking about buildings in the next 30 years, I’m looking here at my own home and thinking, why not build a home of 2050 now,” Clark says.
“That home would be built on three core pillars. It would be energy efficient, powered by renewable energy and all electric.”
Twenty years ago, the Reeds had put solar panels on the roof and do-it-yourself insulation in the attic and crawl spaces. Colleen says it made a difference, but not enough, according to home energy audits, which exposed all the leaks. “There were really cold spots,” she says.
In 2021, they decided to invest in what they call a deep energy gut rehab. The plan took the house down to its studs and would reconstruct it to NetZero building standards, producing as much, if not more, energy as it consumed.
As the project progressed, they saw, why the house was so cold. “Rotted out, compressed cardboard was all the insulation we had,” Clark says. “In the 1950s, the solution was to turn up the heat.”
Instead, the Reeds turned to John Spears, President and Founder of the Sustainable Design Group, who is also President and CEO of the International Center for Sustainable Development, a non-profit based in Gaithersburg that works on sustainability solutions worldwide. Spears had the knowledge they wanted and decades of experience in the design of healthy, energy-efficient homes.
“Basically, it is a full house renovation. All the systems were replaced, with new plumbing, new electrical wiring, new heating and air conditioning, a new kitchen, everything,” Spears says, adding that even the gas line was dug up and removed.
After the demolition came the rebuild, designed to make the house airtight, with insulation inside and out, using a layer of foam board on the exterior, densely packed fiberglass between studs and a spray foam in the attic and crawl space.
Rooftop solar was installed on both the south and north sides of the house. The design also called for large south-facing casement windows in the utility room that could make use of the passive solar, which captures the warmer utility room air to recharge the heat pump, water heater and dryer.
The Clarks had been saving money for a long time. Years ago, they got rid of a second car, relying on the nearby Twinbrook Metro to commute to their jobs, a savings they figured came to more than $100,000 over 20 years. So, with savings and a new mortgage they could afford the project.
In a study by the Rocky Mountain Institute, a non-profit environmental think-tank, the difference between an energy upgrade to a NetZero home vs the remodel without those updates in the Washington metro area, was calculated at $18,000.
Clark says the payback made fiscal sense.
“This house typically paid about $2,000 a year in electric and natural gas utility bills. So, $18,000 divided by two is a nine-year payback,” Clark says.
Spears adds, “If you’re taking out a home equity loan for the energy upgrade, typically your monthly payment for that loan will be less than the energy savings in the utilities. That it is a positive, instantaneous payback in cash flow because you borrowed the money, but the money costs less than the savings,” he says.
While Montgomery County and state subsidies and rebates didn’t add up to much at the time, Clark says consumers can now tap into significant savings connected with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a federal law.
Spears advises homeowners to make energy efficiency and indoor air quality a priority, and not an afterthought. “A common renovation is a new kitchen, new bathrooms and maybe an addition. If you are investing that much in a renovation, you have the opportunity to improve the energy efficiency, comfort and health of the home,” he says. “It’s a small part of the budget, but it can have a significant impact on your life and wellbeing.”
The Reeds recommend finding a builder you trust and guaranteeing your investment through EPA’s Energy Star and DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Home certification programs, which is what they did.
And there’s so much to like, Colleen says. “It feels comfortable, and when it’s really windy or raining and you see the trees blowing, there’s a sense of quietude, peaceful and calm, a kind of sanctuary [inside],” she says.
There’s also the added pleasure of no more utility bills. As power is generated from solar panels, the Reeds watch their electric meter move backwards. That’s something they are regularly paid for, which this spring came in the form of a check for $365.61 from PEPCO.
Rosanne Skirble, is a freelancer from Silver Spring and former reporter for Voice of America.
