A few years ago, Jacqueline Freidel and her husband built their new home near Madison, Wisconsin, complete with four bedrooms and an open-concept floor plan.
But the couple’s house has a hidden feature — it runs entirely on electricity and is net-zero, meaning it produces just as much energy as it uses every year.
Freidel: “If you were walking by and didn’t know anything about the house, you might not even guess that it is net-zero energy and all-electric.”
Freidel is an energy efficiency consultant. But she says anyone can build a net-zero home if they hire a contractor who has experience with energy-efficient houses.
In their home, the couple and their builders installed electric appliances like an induction stove and a heat pump instead of a gas stove or furnace.
They insulated the house tightly to save on heating and cooling costs.
And the builders angled the roof so that the 41 solar panels the couple had installed could absorb plenty of sunlight.
Freidel and her husband shared the entire process of building a net-zero home on YouTube.
And she encourages anyone building a house to make it energy-efficient.
Freidel: “Certainly I would tell people, it’s not as scary as you think. You can do it. There’s a lot of resources out there and experts that can help you out along the way, so just do it.”
Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media
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