Zero Energy Homes (ZEH)

I was watching the news today and there was an author explaining that the new wave in inovative industries is ET, ENERGY TECHNOLOGY. Basically since there is now a recognized effort to stop "global emissions" there are now comerce caps on the production of carbons. Therefor companies who emit more carbon than is allowed, they MUST transform their operations to some form of green energy! This is a good thing, as there will be new jobs and a means to live more efficiently. The down side to all of this , I have not quite figured out. However, I found an article talking about Zero Energy Housing, a house that uses and generates its own power!

A ZEH is connected to the utility grid, but at off-peak time periods, it generates more power than it uses by combining renewable energy technologies with advanced energy-efficient construction. As a result, a ZEH lowers the power demand on its utility provider. It produces about as much energy as it consumes during a year, so it is considered to achieve "net zero" energy consumption.

source: ZD.Net



Think about it, a standard of living where one can live self sustained in a house that pays for its self! Think of it, practically no bills to pay and all of the energy you could need. The best part, building a home like this will cost you under $200k but who needs more than they can chew. My ideal House would be less than 3k square feet. But on a house like this there are so many "green" technologies to apply; Solar Panels for electricity, solar water heater, a tank less water heater system which uses the Earth's thermal temperature to effectively heat your house and cool it, all at the expense of paying attention to mother earth! The possibilities of living off of the "grid" and building or modifying a house to suit an economy with lesser means, MEANS a higher standard of living for all.
A house that generates more than it means.
Simply means one thing, I can live any where in the world and no one has to know.....
:)