Zero-Energy Residential Optimization Project: Community-Scale Research and Demonstration Site

De Young Properties is building California’s largest zero net energy residential community to date in Clovis, California. Unfamiliarity with zero net energy construction and features, high upfront costs for energy-efficient home design, all-electric appliances and rooftop solar systems, and unproven business models for financing energy-efficient home mortgages are significant barriers to advancing zero net energy home construction in California. This project addresses (1) how homebuyers in California perceive zero net energy and what their preferences and priorities are in buying zero net energy homes, (2) what are the most cost-effective energy efficiency measures that can be used when building new homes to achieve zero net energy, (3) what design considerations and advanced construction techniques can be utilized to achieve zero net energy homes, (4) how zero net energy homeowners interact with the advanced features of their homes, (5) how the ventilation systems used in the zero net energy homes affect indoor air quality, (6) how various moisture mitigation technologies perform in unvented attics, (7) how accurate the CBECC-res energy compliance software energy estimates are relative to actual circuit level data, (8) what the cost differences are between all-electric and mixed-fuel homes, and (9) what are the challenges related to implementing community solar and what are the funding mechanisms available to finance it.