The State of California was choosen as a testing ground by the DOE for building Zero Energy Homes with renewable energy technology—a "grand experiment" that is beginning to pay off. California offered the combination of opportunities and incentives that make Zero Energy Home communities affordable and marketable: utility "buy-down" programs that subsidize solar technology purchase; net metering, allowing the homeowner to sell unused energy to the utility company and "bank" excess energy credit to offset their usage when the solar system is not generating energy; and, of course, abundant sunshine. The marketability of this package is promising, and proponents hope to replicate California's success in other areas of the country. Illinois is already moving toward implementing similar building methods.

With over 500 Zero Energy Home program houses in nine communities in California, our developer, Schmidt Luxury Homes is just beginning to work toward the DOE's goal in Chicago. For more information, please visit the Building America website.