Stern Zero Net Energy Residence - Grover Beach, California
ENERGY MODELING
Program: 1,080 SF Custom Home, Zero Net Energy
Stern House is a passive solar design, zero net energy (ZNE) residence in Grover Beach, California. The owner and design team made a commitment to ZNE – rather than add more solar to power inefficiencies, the house was designed to reduce energy demands and to produce as much energy from the sun as it would need annually.
Stern House is the first fully-monitored home in the U.S. to use Micronal Smartboard, a gypsum board with micro-capsules of phase change material (PCM) that melt (change phase) at the optimum comfort temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The PCM stores large amounts of heat energy, providing the heat storage capacity of 3-1/2” concrete in a ½” light-weight material with optimal temperature stabilization and without overheating. Paired with high insulation values, this “thermal battery” keeps the home warm for up to two weeks of cold, cloudy weather, without the use of the mechanical heaters.
- Design and Construction: The Energy Experts
