![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20161231152212im_/https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/styles/borealis_photo_gallery_large_respondsmall/public/2016_Thrive-Hyland-1_FrontHighRes_lwr.jpg?itok=CR_Ru3Yc)
Thrive Home Builders constructed this 3,322-square-foot home in Denver, Colorado, to the performance criteria of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program.
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Energy- and water-saving measures incorporated in this home are estimated to save $1,644 per year and $85,569 over a 30-year mortgage.
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The drought-tolerant plants were chosen for landscaping and have individual drip irrigation to conserve water.
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A 3.64-kW solar electric system installed on the roof of the home brings the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score down to 28; a typical new home built to code has a HERS score of 100.
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Well-placed windows in this home provide natural daylighting and 100% compact fluorescent lighting minimizes energy use.
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ENERGY STAR-rated appliances save energy and money in the kitchen.
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The home’s comfort is maintained by an efficient central heat pump with a seasonal energy efficiency ratio of 16. A gas furnace is installed for backup heat during very cold days in this cold-climate location.
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This home is constructed using low-VOC paints and low-formaldehyde wood products to help with indoor air quality.
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The home has ENERGY STAR-qualified double-pane, vinyl-framed windows with an argon gas fill that increase the insulation value to U=0.22.
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This home is equipped with water-saving, EPA WaterSense-rated fixtures and a hot water recirculation loop to speed hot water to the tap from the tankless gas water heater.
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The home complies with all of the requirements of the EPA Indoor airPLUS program, which promotes healthy indoor air. The basement slab was poured over a 4-inch crushed rock base, wrapped in a 6-mil vapor barrier, and fitted with a passive radon vent stack to help keep soil gases out of the basement living space.
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Good site water management practices help ensure dry leak-free basements.
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This home’s double-wall construction provides a 9-inch wall cavity that is filled with blown fiberglass insulation to provide a continuous R-40 thermal blanket around the home. All framing materials were locally harvested from standing beetle-killed trees in the Colorado mountains.
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Spray foam is carefully applied around electrical boxes and wall penetrations and at the joints between bottom plates and subfloors as part of a complete air barrier system.
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Open window headers allow for more blown-in insulation around windows and doors.
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The well-sealed ducts are placed within the conditioned space between the floor joists to minimize energy loss while spray foam insulates and air-seals the rim joists.