2006 Media Releases & Alerts
NAHB Research Center'S Thomas Kenney Speaks on the Potential Impact of Zero
Energy Homes at CMRC Fall Meeting
Upper Marlboro, Md., October 24, 2006 - Today, Thomas Kenney, vice
president of contract research for the NAHB Research Center, addressed
attendees at the Construction Marketing Research Council's (CMRC) Fall 2006
Meeting with a special report on the Research Center study; The Potential
Impact of Zero Energy Homes. Developed through a collaborative effort
by the NAHB Research Center, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the study presents a far-reaching outlook
into the possibilities for the zero energy home (ZEH) concept in the new home
market and explores the potential impact of ZEH in reducing future U.S. energy
consumption through 2050. During the session, Kenney briefed CMRC members on
the driving factors behind the anticipated proliferation of highly-efficient
ZEH featured in The Potential Impact of Zero Energy Homes.
Released in early 2006, The Potential Impact of Zero Energy Homes was
developed to explore macro economic factors and buyer attitudes that will
influence market acceptance of the ZEH concept on a nationwide scale through
the year 2050. ZEH are connected to the utility grid, combine highly
energy-efficient design and technology with solar electric and thermal systems
to produce as much energy as they use on an annual basis, resulting in net zero
energy consumption and dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. During
his presentation, Kenney explained that while ZEH are technically feasible and
a few exist today, they have yet to widely penetrate the new home construction
marketplace due to high first costs. However, market penetration of
high-efficiency homes with solar energy systems has already begun, and will
continue in certain areas with financial incentive programs.
According to Kenney, rising energy costs will drive further increases in the
already growing number of energy efficiency improvements to home appliances,
building envelopes, windows, and mechanical systems currently entering the
marketplace. Continued development of these energy-saving technologies combined
with state and federal tax incentives for renewable energy systems will help
create a favorable economic environment that can give way to homebuyer interest
in ZEH in the coming years. Kenney also asserted that with continued federal
research and development programs to lower the cost of advanced
energy-efficient building technologies and solar thermal and electric
equipment, the ZEH concept will begin to diffuse into the U.S. housing market
as early as 2012. This diffusion would potentially reverse the upward trend in
energy use and ultimately lower energy consumption of the entire U.S. housing
stock even as the cumulative number of homes continues to increase.
For more information on zero energy homes and The Potential Impact of ZEH
study, or to download a copy, visit
www.toolbase.org/zeh.
10/06
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