Health-E-Community Enterprises of Virginia Inc. constructed a 2,170-square-foot home at their Villas at Rocketts Landing development, in Toano, Virginia, to the performance criteria of the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program.

Highly efficient insulation and a 6.8-kW solar electric system combine to makes this a zero energy home, one that produces as much power as it uses in a year. The home’s owners are expected to have utility bills of less than $15 a month.

Every fixture in the home employs advanced technology LED lighting and the two ceiling fans are ENERGY STAR certified for increased energy efficiency.

An ENERGY STAR-rated refrigerator, dishwasher, and clothes washer provide exceptional energy savings.

Advanced technology LEDs provide lighting in soffits, under and in cabinets, and in surface-mounted fixtures that can take the place of recessed can lights.

EPA Indoor airPLUS requirements like low- or no-VOC paints and finishes contribute to a healthy indoor air quality.

Triple-pane vinyl-framed windows with an insulation value of R-5 keep cold air outside in the winter and inside during the summer for a more comfortable, efficient, and quiet home.

Professionally installed interior water protection helps to keep bathrooms mold-free.

The builder installed a plumbing system that delivers hot water to any location in the home in less than five seconds, reducing the amount of water wasted waiting for hot water to reach the tap.

The builder installed an exterior wall water barrier including house wrap and graphite-enhanced rigid R-5 foam insulation instead of OSB sheathing to help keep water out of the walls.

High-performance builders like Health-E-Community Enterprises employ advanced framing techniques that use less lumber and allow more room for insulation than standard techniques while providing just as much structural strength. One technique, “California corners,” uses two studs rather than three studs at corners and aligns them in a way that doesn’t block insulation from the corners.

Ladder blocking, where interior walls intersect with exterior walls, uses less wood and provides more room for insulation in the exterior wall than the standard practice where several studs are stacked in the exterior wall as an anchor for the interior wall.

Using open-web floor joists rather than solid floor joists uses less lumber and provides space to easily run wiring, piping, or ducts through the conditioned space between the floors.

Comfort vents like this jump duct help balance air pressure and temperatures from room to room for more even comfort throughout the home.

Joints and connections in the ducts are sealed with mastic, a paint-on adhesive, to ensure that warm or cool air doesn’t leak out of the ducts before arriving at its destination.

The home’s rim joist is sealed and insulated with spray foam to reduce air leakage for draft-free construction.

Careful attention to detail like blocking and air-sealing the top of this soffit area during construction help Health-E-Community Enterprises to build more comfortable, energy-efficient homes.

This view from the attic shows how the seams between the top plates and the ceiling drywall are sealed with spray foam to keep warm air from leaking into the attic.

A high-efficiency 50-gallon heat pump water heater provides hot water for the entire home.

The 6.8-kW solar electric generation system includes 24 roof-mounted photovoltaic panels plus these inverters that convert the power from DC to AC for connection to the grid; the inverters can also be connected to batteries for backup power storage.

A properly sized heat pump with a seasonal energy efficiency ratio of 15.3 is located in conditioned space within the home.

An energy recovery ventilator with a MERV 13 filter supplies clean, fresh air to the entire home.