Net Zero energy buildings feed power into the grid when the sun is shining and draw power when it isn’t. But it doesn’t work when the grid gets knocked out by hurricanes, as often happens in Florida. An interesting new community, Hunters Point, being built by Pearl Homes in Cortez, south of Tampa, may finally solve the problem of Net Zero.

I have always been dubious about net zero and its reliance on the grid, and suggested that radical efficiency was a better approach to getting to zero. These houses are built to LEED Platinum standards, and are very well insulated, and are not huge, so they won’t need much cooling. Then they are topped off with solar panels connected to 9MWh of Sonnen batteries so that they don’t have to connect to the grid at all.

I have also been dubious about smart home technology, but these houses are full of smart google stuff that time-shifts the use of AC and appliances to run when the sun is shining, for example, pre-cooling the house.

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