What Does Zero-Energy-Capable Living Mean?
Whisper Valley is unlike any other sustainable community in the nation thanks to the EcoSmart Solution, the green energy service provider to all the homeowners in our community. EcoSmart utilizes geothermal heating and cooling paired with solar PV to power your home, enabling zero-energy-capable living.
What does it mean for a home to be zero-energy capable and how can zero-energy-capable living benefit you as the homeowner? Read on to learn more.
What is Zero-Energy-Capable Living?
Zero-energy-capable homes in Whisper Valley achieve a Home Energy Rating (HERS) of 25 or below – far below the standard high-performance home built today. By combining a community-wide geothermal energy grid with solar photovoltaic electricity generation, smart home technology and energy monitoring and management systems, you can drastically reduce carbon emissions.
In simple terms: Whisper Valley homes are heated and cooled by the natural heat of the Earth utilizing geothermal heat pumps and powered by the sun using solar panels. When paired with EcoSmart’s optional energy storage home battery, you also have the capability of storing excess solar energy to use in your home.
Whisper Valley homes also feature high-efficiency appliances, including refrigerators and dishwashers, designed to minimize energy demand. All new EcoSmart homes in Phase 2 of Whisper Valley are also provided with an energy monitoring platform that enables homeowners to gain visibility of their energy use and take control over how they allocate their energy expenditure.
Benefits of Zero-Energy-Capable Living
A zero-energy-capable home can reduce energy requirements to zero based upon personal energy behavior and help homeowners enjoy average utility savings of hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year!
For a typical single-family home, more than 70 percent of the average energy demand is to meet heating and cooling needs. With a geothermal heat pump, that energy use can be cut by 40-70 percent, reaping significant savings on monthly energy bills.
Tax Incentives
Even more enticing, Whisper Valley homeowners are currently eligible for tax credits on their home’s solar PV system and the geothermal exchange equipment on their property. The current federal tax incentive, which has been extended through 2023, allows homeowners to write off 26 percent of the value of both systems, which translates into thousands of dollars in immediate savings and makes the investment even more affordable.
Zero-energy-capable living has so many perks and it’s never been more attainable thanks to the EcoSmart Solution in Whisper Valley. Phase 2 of our community is now underway; for more information about our zero-energy-capable homes, contact us today.