April 2, 2010, Seattle, WA - In a project designed to bring sustainability to the nation's existing homes, Building Media, Inc. teamed with Green Builder® Media, the U.S. Department of Energy and corporate sponsors to give a mid-century modern home in Las Vegas an energy efficient overhaul. The resulting net-zero remodel demonstration home gave visitors to the 2010 International Builders Show (IBS) in Las Vegas a peek into the potential for integrating similar energy saving techniques on a broad level.

IBS visitors also got to peek into the guts of this high-performance home, viewing peel-away exhibits throughout that demonstrated the energy features and sustainability measures that were an essential part of achieving the home's net-zero energy performance.

Craig Savage, co-president of BMI and his partners purchased the 1,800-square-foot house in Las Vegas and then proceeded to remodel it while retaining the home's unique architectural features. The remodel improved the home's energy-efficiency performance from a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score of 123 to 44. The home reached net-zero energy use (-2 HERS_ when they added the 4.8 kW photovoltaic panels.

BMI filmed each step of the retrofit and used the footage to develop an online training program being used to teach remodelers, builders and designers how to apply these same principles to other existing homes.

The program was part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Builders Challenge program (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/challenge/). The DOE seeks to give every consumer the opportunity to buy a cost-neutral, net-zero energy home anywhere in the U.S. by 2030. Homes that qualify for this Builders Challenge must achieve a score of 70 or less on the EnergySmart Home Scale (E-Scale), which is based on the HERS index (www.natresnet.org). The E-Scale allows homebuyers to understand-at a glance-how the energy performance of one particular home compares with others.

Back to News Page »