TC Legend Homes built this 3,160-square-foot custom home in Seattle, Washington, to the high performance criteria of the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program.
Homeowners can expect to save about $3,600 a year in energy costs in this highly efficient home.
Durable metal roofing, fiber cement siding, and redwood detailing provides a long-lasting exterior for the Pacific Northwest winters.
The home’s design makes use of extensive daylighting while LED bulbs provide efficient nighttime illumination.
An air-to-water heat pump provides highly efficient (4.5 COP) heating.
The foundation walls are ICF block providing two continuous layers (R-23) of insulation around the slab, which sits on an additional 4 inches (R-20) of low-VOC EPS foam.
The 6.5-inch graphite SIP wall panels and 10.25-inch graphite SIP roof panels are sealed at all seams with a tenacious air-sealing tape.
All joints between the SIP panels are connected with SIP splines rather than solid lumber splines, which helps to ensure a continuous layer of insulation across the building shell.
The 9.9-kW of PV panels plus energy-efficient building enclosure yields a net zero home.
The air-to-water heat pump transfers heat directly to the water tank for maximum efficiency.
Rainwater is harvested in storage cases under the deck for irrigation.
“A positive-energy home … generates enough extra solar power to run an electric car. … Amazing, right?”
– TC Legend Homes
“A positive-energy home not only produces 100% of the energy it needs for heat, lighting, and appliances, but generates enough extra solar power to run an electric car thousands of miles a year! Amazing, right?”
– TC Legend Homes
