As its name implies the residential home makes as much energy as it uses.
It is run by one of NIST's 7 laboratories, the Engineering Lab's Energy and Environment Division.
The 2,700 square foot home is super-insulated and hyper-energy efficient.
It runs on only 12,000-13,000 Kilowatt per year compared to a typical home that guzzles 40,000 KW.
You can see the array of solar panels on the roof and there is a two-way exchange of energy to/from the grid as available/needed.
There is also solar thermal water heater.
The home simulates a family of 4 living there cooking, bathing, watching TV, etc.
There are 600 sensors inside the house that monitor everything.
The garage maintains the computers and controls for the research.
Overall, I was very proud to see the wonderful scientific research being done here.
It was truly impressive and good for the nation and the planet. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
