Sponsored Post – from NATiVE
It’s been a little over a year since we first met UT literature professors Liz and Alan. They had spent over 30 years living in the same house without doing much to it. The house was showing the wear of 30 years of raising a family and building two successful careers. Most all their neighbors had updated or rebuilt around them. They were ready to upgrade their lives, but not just have any regular, updated new home, they wanted a home that was eco-friendly and sustainable. It was time. They wanted a high-performance, net-zero home built by NATiVE.
When we spoke to them in the Fall of 2014, you could see the excitement in their faces, and you could hear the nervousness in their voices. The homework was done. The plans were made. They worked with architect Elliot Johnson, AIA to design their dream zero energy home. Everything was in place. They were off to England on sabbatical for a year, leaving their trust in NATiVE to bring their dream home into reality.
Their low profile, modest house strikes a balance between light, airy, balanced and thoughtful. Unique touches like the full library and built-in bookshelves throughout make this home perfect for their literary needs. The highly efficient building envelope provides maximum energy efficiency, while a fresh air exchange system provides healthy indoor air quality for the homeowners.
It is a zero energy home with zero net energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by Liz and Alan on an annual basis is equal to the amount of renewable energy (solar) created on the site. It’s sustainable living in the midst of their neighborhood full of McMansions. It’s the house of their dreams. Attainable, sustainable, beautiful, and uniquely theirs.
For the previous articles on Liz and Alan’s journey on “Going Net Zero”, click on the Article titles below:
