What does a builder need to do to meet Freshwater’s “net-zero” standard?
The steps in the process resemble those for achieving the National Green Building Standard. It is a matter of projecting the potential home’s energy needs and then determining the sizing of the renewable energy resources to be built into the home. Instead of seeing how the potential home “scores” relative to the National Green Building Standard, the net-zero “scoring” will utilize the HERS standard. The HERS standard is used to project the energy performance of homes under the Florida Building Code, and therefore is a widely used tool. As with the National Green Building Standard, if the home doesn’t meet the targeted HERS score, the builder/homeowner will have to go back to the drawing board by improving the energy efficiency of the home or adding more in the way of renewable energy resources, such as a larger photovoltaic system.
