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 DOE ZERO ENERGY READY

HOME PROGRAM

Newport provides technical analysis, outreach, and operations management for the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program. The DOE Zero Energy Ready program is a voluntary program recognizing innovative builders for achievements in energy efficiency and performance. As the lead contractor involved in the design and implementation of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program - and its predecessor, the Builders Challenge program - Newport is responsible for handling all partner outreach and support activities, in addition to promoting the program to the general public, and developing and maintaining all technical requirements.

What is a Zero Energy Ready Home?

A DOE Zero Energy Ready Home is a high performance home which is so energy efficient, that a renewable energy system can offset all or most of its annual energy consumption. Every Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) offers a cost-effective, high performance package of energy savings, comfort, health, and durability unparalleled in today’s marketplace. The future of housing today and a symbol of excellence is the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home (Brochure, PDF).

What is a DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Label?

It is a Symbol of Excellence for energy savings, comfort, health, quality, and durability met by a select group of leading builders meeting U.S. Department of Energy guidelines. Check out The Power of Zero - ZERH Label.

What does a ZERH certified home look like?

Take a virtual tour of homes that are so energy efficient a renewable energy system can offset all or most of their annual energy consumption. On the DOE Tour of Zero users will be able to:

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  • View images of the home’s exterior, interior, and technical solutions

  • Learn about the special experience of living in the home from powerful homeowner and builder testimonials

  • View floor plans

  • Examine key metrics including incredibly low energy bills, basic house statistics, and HERS Index Scores.

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Take the Tour Today!

Recent News

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The Economics of Zero-Energy Homes, Updated 2019 with Cold Climates Addendum. Download the report (PDF).

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The Economics of Zero-Energy Homes, October 2018. Zero-Energy (ZE) homes produce as much renewable energy as they consume over the course of a year. Increasing market penetration of ZE homes can help cities meet their aggressive greenhouse gas emission goals while building a more futureproofed and energy-secure building stock. ZE and ZER homes make up less than 1% of the residential market, partially due to outdated perceptions of the incremental cost for these offerings. This report demonstrates that the cost increase to build a ZE or ZER home is modest far less than consumers, builders, and policymakers may realize—and highlights methods builders and policymakers can use to drive increased market penetration. Download the report (PDF, 13.5MB).

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The Housing Innovation Awards - October 17th, 2018. The 2018 Housing Innovation Awards ceremony was held at the EEBA High Performance Home Summit in San Diego, CA on October 16th.

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"Housing Innovation Award winners represent the top 1% of builders across the country who successfully demonstrate they can meet the federal government's most rigorous specifications for high-performance homes," said Sam Rashkin, Chief Architect at DOE's Building Technologies Office. "Zero energy ready homes are designed to provide a whole new level of homeowner experience including ultra-low utility bills, ensured comfort, comprehensive water protection, whole-house fresh air delivery, high-capture filtration, contaminant control, and enhanced durability."

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This year's winners, along with the location of the award winning homes can be found here. The five award categories are: 

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  • Custom Buyer: Custom home built for a specific buyer

  • Custom Spec: Custom home builder on an individual rather than production scale to be sold on speculation rather than pre-ordered by a buyer

  • Production: Homes intended to be reporduced using standard approaches and plans

  • Multi-Family: A building with two or more units serving multiple homeowners/ rental groups

  • Affordable: A home built to an affordable price point

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For more information, please visit the Housing Innovation Awards page.

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The Tour of Zero

The ZERH program recently launched the "Tour of Zero", giving users an inside look at Zero Energy Ready certified homes across the country. Take the tour!

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Energy Star V3 Updates

Revision 08 of Energy Star V3 is now updated. Access short orientation videos to help you understand the updates.

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Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Newport, on behalf of DOE attended a special ribbon cutting ceremony for a ZERH home in Gettysburgh, PA. Homes of the future can change the world!

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For further information on the program, please visit the Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) website.

If you would like to learn more about Newport Partners and our current activities, please contact us.

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