Houston, we have a problem: Going solar is too expensive for me...
Solar panels, evacuated tube hot water systems, and other solar and renewable energy technologies are associated with high costs and tough maintenance. Sustainable materials (natural, organic, recycled, fair-trade, etc.) are also viewed as expensive. While interest in solar technologies increases as the cost of energy rises, the reality of owning photovoltaic and evacuated tube systems seems out of reach for the majority of the public due to concerns of cost, lack of education, and the difficulty of access.

ZEROW HOUSE: An Affordable Solution
The ZEROW HOUSE offers a unique zero energy home that places an emphasis on both solar power and affordability.  

Since the very beginning, one of our key goals was to make sure that the house we built for the Solar Decathlon would be an affordable home.

By designing a traditionally recognized row house for a more moderate socio-economic market, we are able to educate and provide a housing solution for people who are usually overlooked in the dialogue over clean energy. In demonstrating the viability of photovoltaics and solar hot water for this market through the ZEROW HOUSE, we further support the notion that zero energy houses can be a goal for an average American homeowner.

Cost-Conscious Solar Energy
With the ZEROW HOUSE, solar power can be seen as a possibility for all people, not only those with high incomes. The ZEROW HOUSE is a well designed home with a $30,000 solar electric and hot water system packaged and integrated in a single mechanical core, the wet core.

Homeowner trust in the type of technology purchased becomes one of the largest factors to consider in the design of an affordable solar home. The committment to spend $30,000 on unfamiliar systems is a large one, and the ZEROW HOUSE addresses this by using established, reliable products that combine low cost with high performance. Both the photovoltaic and hot water systems are manufactured by well-known companies respected worldwide for their innovation in solar energy, allowing the homeowner to be more confident in using solar technologies they may be unfamiliar with. In order to reduce issues caused by a lack of available maintenance and repair, the photovoltaic array and evacuated tubes are some of the most popular types, ensuring that assistance will be readily available.

Although the $30,000 up-front cost for these solar systems may seem daunting, the solar systems used in the ZEROW HOUSE are some of the most affordable on the market. In order to justify this large initial expense to homeowners, education on the house’s performance as a long-term investment becomes important. As the period of use lengthens, cost benefits of the solar systems are high as they will ultimately pay for themselves in 1) saving the homeowners from having to pay any electric bills, and 2) providing the homeowners with extra income from the energy sold back to the power company.
The first effort to reduce electrical costs is reducing the ZEROW HOUSE’s electrical loads by utilzing smaller sized, low-energy use appliances and lighting fixtures. An appropriately sized array for this load requires only 4.2 kW DC, and extra cost is eliminated by increasing the system’s reliability through energy production monitoring and power-point tracking.

Zero Energy Row House
The ultimate beauty of the ZEROW HOUSE lies within the definition of its name: Zero Energy Rowhouse. The appeal of using zero energy is strong because of high energy prices and because of general environmental concern. The row house is a long-honored tradition that has served as a building model for over 100 years. Our slight alteration of this idea allows for ZEROW HOUSE to be seen as a modern look to a continuing tradition.