In a first for southern Maine, Zero Energy Homes (ZEH), an innovative Maine home building company based in the town of Mt. Desert, recently completed construction of one of its affordable, yet highly efficient net-zero homes in North Gorham.
“Net-zero” means the home is designed to produce at least as much electricity as it draws from the grid.
Net-zero homes are not completely new to Maine, but up until now have been fairly expensive. ZEH’s state-of-the-art homes make extensive use of solar panels, heat pumps, efficient appliances, 8.5-inch-thick wood fiber insulation, tightly fitted wall and roof components, and triple-glazed windows to reduce electricity use.
ZEH expects that all their homes will be connected to the power grid through CMP or Versant, in order to be eligible for net-energy billing (NEB).
ZEH’s stated mission is to significantly lower the cost of highly efficient, solar-powered homes in Maine by using modular and panelized off-site manufacturing, with 80% Maine-made building materials (most sustainably sourced).
Huber Resources and Timber HP are two of the Maine wood products companies that provide important components for ZEH’s manufacturing process. ZEH intends to make all-electric homes with heat pumps more accessible for year-round Maine residents who earn between 80 percent to 160 percent of area median income (approximately $50,000 to $115,000 a year depending on the area).
With their new manufacturing facility in Wiscasset, ZEH plans to ramp up to producing 50-60 homes a year. To illustrate the affordable nature of ZEH’s homes, the price of the basic “Osprey” model currently averages $330,000 (not counting land purchase, and site preparation expenses).
ZEH president Carolyn Pryor has stated a goal of getting the average cost down to $300,000. One of the ways of maintaining such a low cost is by having square footage that is in the moderate range but is still reasonable and livable. For instance, the North Gorham home has 896 sq ft. on the first floor and 600 sq. ft. on the second floor, for a total of just under 1,500 sq. ft. ZEH officials stated they estimate the use of solar panels and net-zero technology should save homeowners about $100,000 in energy costs over the course of a 30-year mortgage, much of which would otherwise be spent on fossil fuel sources.
ZEH works closely with Maker Construction of Hebron. They are experts in implementing ZEH’s method of construction, which uses prefabricated panels manufactured off-site. Brian McEachern of Maker Construction recently stated, “I like it [energy efficient modular construction] because it serves the middle 80 percent of people, especially the ones who might not be able to afford a home.” GLB Construction of Westbrook completed site preparation work for the North Gorham home, including clearing and grading the site.