It sounds like the plot of some new reality TV show: Scientists under contract to the federal government monitor your home 24 hours a day, tapping a network of bugs that detect when you use the restroom, start making dinner or fiddle with your air conditioning.
Far from claiming prize money, though, expect to spend $956,900 to live under the watchful eye of the Department of Energy in what the department is calling the nation's first Zero Energy Home. The DOE is helping to build the house as part of its effort toward dwellings that put as much energy into the electric grid as they take out.
At a hot, dusty construction site Wednesday, electric meters show Centex Homes' just-finished "21st Century Performance Home" doing just that. Photovoltaic solar cells on the roof generate about 1.8 kilowatts, while lights, a refrigerator and other miscellaneous appliances draw about half a kilowatt. So the electric meter on the side of the home spins in reverse even as cooling systems keep the interior chilled to well below the triple-digit temperature outside.
That's all the more impressive considering that the home's three bedrooms, library, 2½ baths and three-car garage sprawl over about 3,100 square feet.
With the exception of the climate-control system and a few minor gadgets, none of the technologies in the house is new. What's new is that a major builder like Centex has crafted a home, from the ground up, to bring them all together.
"It's a systems approach-- finally, all the components are there for a house," said Wendy Sommer, senior program manager for the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, which advised Centex on the project. "It's funny how many subcontractors are involved in building a house and don't normally talk to each other."
It is the interplay among the various parts of the house that experts will be observing on behalf of the Energy Department. For one year, Davis Energy Group will monitor flows of electricity, water and heat into, around and out of the house to see which design features conserve the most electricity and to ensure that they work well together.
More to the point: Will all the fancy, green technology used to build the home work as promised for a typical, energy-guzzling Bay Area family? "We need to test these things in the real world," said state Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch.
Centex says it plans no special selection process to find residents for the Performance House, and hopes to find a typical buyer, although the home does cost $27,000 more than otherwise similar properties in the same neighborhood. (It would cost $1,250 more if the climate-control system had not been donated.)
Buyers of other Centex homes can add some of these components. Solar energy cells run about $8,000, after a rebate of about as much from the state government. Solar hot water, including a pioneering insulation system that keeps water warmer after dark, is $2,500. Fluorescent light bulbs are $25.
Enterprising homeowners could also install their own forest-friendly bamboo flooring, ultraviolet-filtered windows and low-flow faucets. But it would be a big headache to rip out old, fiberglass insulation in favor of the cellulose this house uses, which blocks out more air and contains no formaldehyde.
It also would be tough to put in the special siding, roof hangs and roof sheathing, all designed to better keep out the elements and reduce maintenance.
And don't even think about rebuilding with engineered wood, made with the chips of fast-growing trees and said to be sturdier than the regular kind, or of adding an extra layer of drywall to the walls, or pouring a stronger, recycled kind of concrete into your foundation and insulating it at the edge.
The experimental air circulation system and a massive "thermal mass" of Sheetrock are also impractical add-ons.
Still, energy experts and state officials expect the market for energy-efficient housing products to continue to grow. Interest from homeowners and major builders like Centex was fueled in part by the state's recent energy crisis, which saw electricity prices surge.
"The energy crisis definitely had an effect," said Bill Dakin, a senior engineer at Davis Energy Group, which helps design and retrofit buildings to maximize energy conservation. "People are more aware, and builders are building a better product."
Nancy Jenkins, manager of the state's Public Interest Energy Research Program, agreed. "There's a huge wave of builder interest and enthusiasm with the energy crisis," she said.
Ryan Tate is a business reporter. Reach him at rtate@cctimes.com.
What's in it: Here's how the nation's first Zero Energy Home conserves power:
Photovoltaic roof panels -- Solar energy cells produce about 2 kilowatts on a clear afternoon, usually enough to feed excess power back in to the grid and thus offset energy use at night. Cost: $8,000 after state rebate.
NightBreeze climate control -- The ventilation system sucks in cool air at night, chilling Sheetrock in and under the home. On hot days, the system stops drawing in air from the outside and instead recirculates the air around the Sheetrock, which stays cool through the day. The system is specialized for this home.
Solar water heating -- Cells treated with black chrome heat water to 140 degrees while advanced insulation keeps the storage tank warm through the night. An instantaneous gas heater ensures water is always sufficiently hot. Cost: $2,500.
Caption: Solar energy heats the water and generates power, and night air cools the "21st Century Performance Home" in Livermore. (Dan Honda/Times)
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