{"id":1,"date":"2021-04-26T00:20:47","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T00:20:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/?p=1"},"modified":"2022-02-15T19:21:45","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T19:21:45","slug":"net-zero-energy-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/2021\/04\/26\/net-zero-energy-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Net Zero Energy Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to our website where we provide a little window into our attempts to transition to a Net Zero Energy life. We aim to provide practical tips and insights so others attempting to make the transition can find answers as well as some inspiration! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Net Zero Energy means that over the course of a year, we generate the same amount of energy as we consume. So our home’s NET energy consumption is ZERO. Whenever power is generated locally, it reduces the need for transmission. Generating electricity on your own roof is AS local as you can get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a lot more to Net Zero Energy than slapping solar panels on the roof. If you don\u2019t want to do it yourself, it\u2019s relatively easy to call a solar installer – which anybody can do and everybody should do<\/em>! If you can afford to buy a house, you can now afford to put solar on it; either buy or lease. We paid upfront for ours, but our neighbors leased their solar system with no money down. If you are serious about the climate emergency, you need to be serious about solar, and that is easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also have a ground source heat pump for our heating & cooling, quadruple glazed windows (by a great company called Alpen<\/a><\/strong>), and we have beefed up our insulation by adding FOUR inches of exterior insulation and air-sealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our effort has mostly gone into finding the weak spots of the house in terms of air-sealing & insulation and beefing them up. It\u2019s a bit more involved to find and plug all those air leaks and its definitely more disruptive to add 4 inches of insulation to the exterior of your walls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We take being resilient in the face of climate change seriously and it’s something that we consider in every aspect of our lifestyle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the last 10 years, we have been driving an electric car. And more recently, we adopted a vegan lifestyle (we haven’t eaten meat for a long time and now we have moved on to being dairy-free). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have information about the various aspects of our journey to Net Zero Energy on this website. But like most things in life, this site is a work in progress. We are often busy upgrading the house and not the site! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, please if you have a specific question, just reach out to us via the Contact page. And we will respond! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Our 2011 GM-Volt <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to our website where we provide a little window into our attempts to transition to a Net Zero Energy life. We aim to provide practical tips and insights so others attempting to make the transition can find answers as well as some inspiration!  Net Zero Energy means that over the course of a year, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":149,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-general","9":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/NZE-life.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":784,"url":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/2018\/03\/26\/net-zero-energy-designs\/","url_meta":{"origin":1,"position":0},"title":"Net Zero Energy Designs","author":"Mark Bartosik","date":"March 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"We can design your Net Zero Energy project. Services offered: Complete design;Consultation, as needed with you your architect, general contractor, and sub-contractors;Materials list with suppliers, or we can supply and deliver to your job site; If interested, message us via our contact form.","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Net-Zero-Energy-Logo-and-Title-V3.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Net-Zero-Energy-Logo-and-Title-V3.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Net-Zero-Energy-Logo-and-Title-V3.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Net-Zero-Energy-Logo-and-Title-V3.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Net-Zero-Energy-Logo-and-Title-V3.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":665,"url":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/2021\/04\/05\/costs\/","url_meta":{"origin":1,"position":1},"title":"Costs","author":"Mark Bartosik","date":"April 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Our Electric Bill We pay a monthly connection charge of $14.70. We don\u2019t have batteries and don\u2019t live off-grid. Instead, we use our local utility (PSEG) as a giant battery! So, in the bright summer months we give the excess electricity we generate to the local utility and in winter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/imageedit_2_2583344944.jpg?fit=1000%2C707&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/imageedit_2_2583344944.jpg?fit=1000%2C707&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/imageedit_2_2583344944.jpg?fit=1000%2C707&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/imageedit_2_2583344944.jpg?fit=1000%2C707&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":466,"url":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/2021\/04\/04\/resources\/","url_meta":{"origin":1,"position":2},"title":"Resources","author":"Mark Bartosik","date":"April 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are a few links to resources that we have found helpful over the years. A lot of what we have learnt and implemented on the house has come from reading websites such as Building Science and Green Building Advisor. If there is a mistake, don't blame them, it is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/tools-864983_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/tools-864983_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/tools-864983_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/tools-864983_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/tools-864983_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":463,"url":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/2021\/04\/08\/our-solar-powered-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":1,"position":3},"title":"Our Solar Powered Life","author":"Mark Bartosik","date":"April 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Over time, we have installed 4 solar systems, all of which are different types of solar, the first one uses building-integrated tiles which means they look just like a regular concrete tile roof but \u201cshiny\u201d (see below for pics from the installation), the second array is a traditional solar panel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar"","block_context":{"text":"Solar","link":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/category\/solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Building Integrated Solar Tiles on front of house","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Solar-Intro.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Solar-Intro.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Solar-Intro.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":456,"url":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/2021\/04\/08\/building-envelope\/","url_meta":{"origin":1,"position":4},"title":"Building Envelope","author":"Mark Bartosik","date":"April 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Rationale behind proper Air-sealing and Insulation Our biggest effort has gone into finding the weak spots of the house in terms of air-sealing & insulation and beefing them up. Before we did this work, the house was so inefficient that when the wind blew, the interior doors swayed with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Building Envelope"","block_context":{"text":"Building Envelope","link":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/category\/building-envelope\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/img_dressed-for-spray-foam_zoomed.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/img_dressed-for-spray-foam_zoomed.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/img_dressed-for-spray-foam_zoomed.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":575,"url":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/2021\/04\/07\/windows\/","url_meta":{"origin":1,"position":5},"title":"Windows","author":"Mark Bartosik","date":"April 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"We have quadruple glazed windows with a center of glass insulation rating of nearly R10. The outer glass is laminated for strength, then there are two suspended Mylar films instead of glass to keep the weight down, and an inner regular glass layer. Each of the 6 interior surfaces has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/category\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20210408_162424.jpg?fit=1008%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20210408_162424.jpg?fit=1008%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20210408_162424.jpg?fit=1008%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20210408_162424.jpg?fit=1008%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":591,"href":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions\/591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netzeroenergy.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}