Most people are very aware of how many miles per gallon they are getting with their vehicles, but if you ask how much they are paying per year in energy bills, most will have only a vague idea. Yet, the energy costs to run our homes is generally a much larger percentage of our monthly budget.

Around here, the cost of electricity and gas to operate a 2500-square foot home can run between $2,500 and $4,500 per year or up to $375 per month. Older homes are usually less efficient and consume more energy, while newer homes that are built to current energy codes consume less. I know of some homeowners here in Las Cruces with energy bills of $4,000 per month.

For most homeowners, energy costs are the second highest expense of homeownership, right after their monthly mortgage expense. This makes it really important to minimize these costs. Imagine if this expense were completely eliminated. That dream is now very much within reach.

The technology to build a net-zero home that generates its own electricity, and consumes less than it generates is not only available today, but is very affordable and economically viable. Net-zero homes achieve this in two ways. First, and ideally, the home is designed and constructed to be extremely energy efficient, consuming much less energy than a comparable conventionally built home. Additionally, there is some form of renewable energy system (usually solar photovoltaics) to generate enough energy to offset whatever energy is consumed by the home. The net effect is zero overall energy consumption, and in some cases, the home generates more than enough energy to cover its owners' needs.

Homes can be retrofitted to become net-zero energy homes, by adding energy-efficient upgrades so the home consumes less energy. By then adding a source of renewable energy, usually a solar photovoltaic system, the home will generate more energy over the course of a year than the home consumes. Because of our abundant sunshine, and good incentives for solar power, there have been a significant number of solar photovoltaic systems installed on homes in and around Las Cruces. As a consequence, we have a number of homeowners that have essentially achieved a net-zero energy home.

The main limitation to retrofitting an existing home to become net-zero in energy consumption is that the vast majority of our homes are not energy efficient. The cost of a solar photovoltaic system that can generate enough energy to meet the needs of an inefficient home can be enormous.

A home that is designed and built to be highly energy efficient can achieve net-zero with a much smaller investment in a solar photovoltaic system. There are builders in our own community that are building homes that include energy-saving designs and features, and that include enough solar energy to more than offset all the energy needs of the home. And this is being done at a cost that is very comparable to other new homes. Best of all, there is no difference in beauty or curb appeal between the high-efficiency home versus the conventional home.

All of this adds up to a major case for the net-zero home. Home builders across the country are beginning to respond to increased interest in energy efficient homes, which now constitute an increasing percentage of the new home sales. I predict we will see more net-zero homes popping up in Las Cruces as well.

The expectation for energy efficient homes is becoming much more commonplace among American homebuyers. Polls show that more than half of Americans specify that their dream home must be a green home, and well over 90 percent insist on a home that is very energy efficient. Now that we know that net-zero homes are very achievable, we can add that to our wish list. Imagine what we can do with the annual savings with no energy bills to pay.
