RecordNet reports on the first net zero development in Stockton California, which will consist of 22 modular homes built by Visionary Home Builders. California law has set the goal for all new home construction to be net zero by 2020, with commercial construction to achieve net zero by 2030. Nonprofit Visionary Home Builder seeks to advance that cause, even though some experts believe it to be to costly in today’s market. Mike Hodgson, president of the Stockton-based energy consulting firm ConSol, helped pencil out the numbers for Visionary’s Tierra del Sol project. Hodgson said, “The industry’s view of net-zero homes today is it probably costs about $50,000 to $70,000 premium. In today’s market that’s just unacceptable.” The appeal of net zero-energy homes is that one should, over the course of a year, produce and conserve as much energy as its residents use. In short, they should pay for them added costs over time plus yield a cleaner, healthier environment. Visionary’s net zero-energy 1,268-square-foot homes were actually built in a Sacramento warehouse by ZETA, a company that specializes in zero-energy construction.
