TC Legend Homes built this 4,472-square-foot home in Seattle, Washington, to the performance criteria of the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program.
The 22nd Avenue home is on the north edge of a narrow, sloped urban infill lot, allowing for maximum solar exposure on the south side of the home if the homeowner chooses to install solar electric panels. For increased water conservation, the home is landscaped with native plants.
The south-facing backside of the home has vinyl-framed windows with low-emissivity coatings to let in natural daylight while blocking heat transfer into the home.
The compressor/condenser unit of the air-to-water heat pump sits outside the fiber-cement clad home.
An ultra-efficient air-to-water heat pump provides radiant floor heating and domestic hot water for the home. The system includes a 50-gallon storage tank for the hot water.