Take a look inside the $1.1 million ‘zero-emissions’ home

Federal officials say real estate is a key piece of the puzzle in meeting America’s climate goals.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, residential and commercial buildings account for 31% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions when “indirect” emissions such as electricity use are taken into account. This is more than other economic sectors such as transportation and agriculture.

The Biden administration has adopted a variety of policies to reduce emissions from homes.

The Inflation Control Act of 2022 provides economic benefits such as tax breaks and rebates to homeowners who make their homes more energy efficient. According to the Department of Energy, the White House recently announced requirements for buildings to be considered “zero-emissions,” meaning they are “energy efficient, have no on-site emissions from energy use, and are powered solely by clean energy.” Guidelines have been published.

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Morgan Wojciechowski, 33, was one of the first homeowners to earn the federal zero-emissions label. (This rating was given by a third-party company, Pearl Certification.)

Wojciechowski, her husband Casey, and their three dogs (Dixie, Bo, and Charlie) moved into a newly built mansion in Williamsburg, Virginia, in August 2023.

Wojciechowski, who is also president of Healthy Communities, a local real estate development company focused on sustainable construction, will talk about new homes, their economic benefits, and how consumers can more efficiently upgrade their homes. told CNBC.

The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Greg Iakrusi: What does it mean for your home to be considered “zero emissions”?

Morgan Wojciechowski: This is a very efficient house with all electricity. These are like the first two bullet points of the White House definition.

The third part is that we participate in green energy programs. [our power provider] Dominion. Not only does it generate solar power [energy] Any excess power is put back into the grid, and the electricity from the grid that comes to my house is clean and sustainable. It costs about $10 more a month to get that clean energy.

GI: How much did it cost to build your house?

Molecular weight: Something like 1.1 million dollars.

GI: So how big is the house?

Molecular weight: 5,400 square feet.

It’s a big house. But the way I do it is not what everyone else does. My house was my personal project because I believe in sustainability and wanted to do it with a house that would be my forever home. But something more reproducible would be something like [Healthy Communities] Built on a 1,500 square foot walnut farm. Selling for $433,000.

GI: Can you give us a breakdown of your estimated savings for your home?

Molecular weight: Our utility bill is projected to be approximately $917 per year. [solar] panels, or about $80 per month.

Annual savings are $7,226 [relative to an average U.S. home, according to rater TopBuild Home Services]. It’s about the efficiency of solar-powered homes.

If you remove solar power, you’ll save $5,431 per year. Sunlight makes up for it.

GI: What does it mean that sunlight offsets it?

Molecular weight: You create energy. Your home uses that energy and sends excess energy back to Dominion. These credits are saved to your account and offset against your bill. This is called net metering.

GI: So the power company is paying for it?

Molecular weight: These credits will be applied to your next billing cycle. These offset your overall utility bill, so that’s where the savings come from.

Solar panels only make sense if you’re building a truly all-electric, energy-efficient home.

G: Why is that?

Molecular weight: Homes need to be built to be more energy efficient or retrofitted by replacing windows with higher-quality ones and adding insulation. This reduces the number of panels needed on your roof and allows for a faster return on investment. Solar power only makes sense if you recoup your investment within a few years.

GI: Does that make solar power even more attractive?

Molecular weight: If you didn’t upgrade your existing home to be energy efficient, or if you didn’t build a home that was energy efficient enough, you’ll need to add panels to make up for the lack of energy efficiency. And when that number gets too big, people flip out.

Solar power must be compatible with the home in which it is installed. If not, please do not install it. Perhaps you just need to upgrade your windows, add insulation, adjust your crawl space, and upgrade your mechanical systems.

There are many things consumers can do. You don’t have to do everything at once. You don’t have to own a solar home to have zero emissions. You need to build an all-electric, energy-efficient home, and you need to buy renewable energy from your utility company.

That sounds very familiar. Many people can do that. Everyone can participate according to their level of sustainability.

GI: How do you recommend people get started?

Molecular weight: I would say to consumers, why not start with windows and doors? It’s that simple. Try it and see how you notice it [efficiency] It changes.

Many older homes have very old windows that tend to leak. Air is moving in and out. If you think about it, a house is like an envelope. You want to seal the inside of your home as much as possible.

Next, put on the insulation.

Many older homes have air conditioning systems with ducts installed in the attic. Insulating the space to be conditioned eliminates the need for building systems to operate in overdrive to accommodate very hot or very cold temperatures. This improves energy efficiency.

And there are tax incentives as well. [available] Make energy efficient upgrades to your home. It’s also attractive to people because consumers can acquire them and write them off.

GI: If you are a renter, there are some things that are out of your control. I think it would be a good idea to ask your landlord.

Molecular weight: It depends on the rental situation. I think it’s a little difficult to change other people’s thoughts. Once you return to your own home, you will finally have more say in what you can do.

Until then, be careful about the energy you use. Please turn off the lights. I mean, it’s true. People don’t turn off the lights. I mean, I have a very efficient house, but I don’t want to waste energy, so I set timers on things. It’s a simple thing that anyone can do.

Correction: The house is 5,400 square feet. The diagram was misspelled in previous versions.