DOE Tour of Zero: West Seattle Home by TC Legend Homes

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.