Blog Post
Living in a net-zero energy home
- By Natalie Hildt Treat
- •
- 07 May, 2020
C-10's executive director shares her story, and her passion for energy efficiency
I like to say that energy efficiency is my first love. It's where I spent most of my career before joining C-10. When my husband Tom and I decided to settle near my hometown of Amesbury, Massachusetts, we looked at "historic" homes that needed a lot of work and were drafty, and newer home that heated with oil, and had less than optimal levels of insulation.
Ultimately, we found BrightBuilt Home, and decided to build a modular, all-electric net-zero energy home in Salisbury, Massachusetts. What does all that mean? Well, modular means it was built in a factory and delivered in pieces, with insulation, electric, and plumbing "roughed in."
The house has an 8.83 kW solar array, designed to generate more power than we use over the course of a year. The only source of energy, besides a small wood stove that we use occasionally, is electricity. The heating and cooling, water heater, cook stove and dryer are all electric, and yes, the house is tied to the grid. We even plug in our Chevy volt car! But no, we don't yet have battery backup.
Aside from the photovoltaics and ENERGY STAR appliances, the big features that makes the house so comfortable and efficient is the level of insulation, and the fact that it is designed to be passively warmed by the sun.
Ultimately, we found BrightBuilt Home, and decided to build a modular, all-electric net-zero energy home in Salisbury, Massachusetts. What does all that mean? Well, modular means it was built in a factory and delivered in pieces, with insulation, electric, and plumbing "roughed in."
The house has an 8.83 kW solar array, designed to generate more power than we use over the course of a year. The only source of energy, besides a small wood stove that we use occasionally, is electricity. The heating and cooling, water heater, cook stove and dryer are all electric, and yes, the house is tied to the grid. We even plug in our Chevy volt car! But no, we don't yet have battery backup.
Aside from the photovoltaics and ENERGY STAR appliances, the big features that makes the house so comfortable and efficient is the level of insulation, and the fact that it is designed to be passively warmed by the sun.
Like most of you, my family has been spending a lot of time at home as we weather the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm fortunate that my home office is bright, comfortable, and energy-efficient. We've been in the house for more than five years now, and we still get asked to share our story.
Click here for a recent article with more details about our home construction project.
What's the link between energy efficiency, solar power, and C-10's work? While our organization is focused on the safe operation of the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant, which is located about five mile from my home, C-10’s vision is that our region transitions to a clean, safe and resilient energy economy.
Nuclear power remains an important part of the region's energy mix, especially with the closure of most coal burning power plants across New England and a heavy reliance on natural gas for electricity and heating. Yet few nuclear plants are being constructed today. Even Seabrook owner NextEra Energy Resources boasts that they are the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and the sun, and that's where the company continues to grow.
While I love renewable energy, the cheapest, cleanest energy is the kind we don't use. To learn more on how to make your home or business more energy-efficient or to take advantage of utility company rebates, you can visit MassSave.com or NHSaves.com.
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More Links:
Our home was featured as Boston Magazine's 2014 Design Home. Take a virtual tour of the house as it was staged by professional designers, before the Craigslist furniture and my kid's toys took over.
Read a case study about the house to see more pictures and energy facts.
Learn about the BrightBuilt Home process, and see a video of a modular home installation.
On Friday, May 8, Natalie participated in a Virtual Eco-Festival hosted by the City of Amesbury. Details are here.
Watch the recording on on Facebook. Her talk is at about the 2-hour mark.
Click here for a recent article with more details about our home construction project.
What's the link between energy efficiency, solar power, and C-10's work? While our organization is focused on the safe operation of the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant, which is located about five mile from my home, C-10’s vision is that our region transitions to a clean, safe and resilient energy economy.
Nuclear power remains an important part of the region's energy mix, especially with the closure of most coal burning power plants across New England and a heavy reliance on natural gas for electricity and heating. Yet few nuclear plants are being constructed today. Even Seabrook owner NextEra Energy Resources boasts that they are the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and the sun, and that's where the company continues to grow.
While I love renewable energy, the cheapest, cleanest energy is the kind we don't use. To learn more on how to make your home or business more energy-efficient or to take advantage of utility company rebates, you can visit MassSave.com or NHSaves.com.
--
More Links:
Our home was featured as Boston Magazine's 2014 Design Home. Take a virtual tour of the house as it was staged by professional designers, before the Craigslist furniture and my kid's toys took over.
Read a case study about the house to see more pictures and energy facts.
Learn about the BrightBuilt Home process, and see a video of a modular home installation.
On Friday, May 8, Natalie participated in a Virtual Eco-Festival hosted by the City of Amesbury. Details are here.
Watch the recording on on Facebook. Her talk is at about the 2-hour mark.
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Tritium is a radioactive byproduct of nuclear fission, found in abundance in nuclear wastewater. The Cape Cod community wants to be safe from it, corporate industry and regulators want to dump into the air and water and forget it ever existed.
C-10 does not agree with the NRC's assertion that "everything is fine, nothing to see here" when it comes to Seabrook Station repeatedly failing inspections.
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