De Young Properties’ Zero Net Energy Home Open for Tours

Dec 16, 2013 No Comments by

CLOVIS – The sign on the front lawn of De Young Properties’ Zero Net Energy Home, a concept project, puts it simply:  Designed to produce as much energy as the house consumes each year.

In order to achieve this goal, the homebuilder has partnered with PG&E to incorporate a number of features in the home, located in De Young’s CountryCourt community.  It is a 2,064 square foot home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a two-car garage, dining room and den.

SolarCity has provided the home with a 5.88 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system, which produces renewable energy.  A 20-year prepaid lease is being offered through SolarCity on the system.

“The lease is a big game changer, because now you’re able to get solar for $5,000 versus $20,000,” said Brandon De Young, vice president of De Young Properties.

LED lighting is found throughout the home, as well as Energy Star qualified windows.  Cool roof tiles cover the building, and a 19 SEER, 14 EER air conditioner and a 95 percent AFUE rated furnace from Lennox helps keep the home pleasant even during extreme temperatures.  Ducts are installed in conditioned space, and not in the attic, where they are normally placed.  Vents were put into the walls, rather than the ceiling, and motion-activated LED lighting is in the hallways, kitchen and bathroom.

Inside the garage is the most advanced energy-efficient Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater Rheem offers.  Instant hot water can be accessed anywhere in the home through a motion-activated hot water recirculation system.  Also in the garage is an electric vehicle charging station, as well as an eMonitor, a Home Energy Management System that shows the homeowner in real time home much energy is being used and introduced.

De Young Properties has been offering Zero Net Electric Homes for a while, and this concept home is the next step.  De Young says he doesn’t know of any other Zero Net Energy Homes that are being offered by other homebuilders in the central California region.  De Young Properties could begin building more of the houses by the end of 2014.

De Young said occupants in Zero Net Energy Homes will always have to pay PG&E to use service, but energy bills will be greatly reduced.  Exactly how much will depend on the residents.

“The dollars and cents of the bill are going to be really low, if not at zero,” De Young said.

De Young said that because of the California Long Term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan, all new residential homes will be required to be Zero Net Energy by 2020.

“We think it’s an awesome goal to try and strive for,” De Young said.

Tours of De Young Properties’ Zero Net Energy Home are available by calling the De Young Welcome Center on Gettysburg and Armstrong in Clovis at (559) 434-2000.

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About the author

James Olinger is a native of the San Joaquin Valley. He graduated from West Hills College in Coalinga, California in 2000 with an associate's degree in liberal arts. He joined Business Street in 2004 as a staff writer, and became the associate editor in 2007. He maintains that position today, writing for Business Street Online in a variety of topics.
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