Dec 28 2011
Attendees tour this Net-Zero Energy home built by BEC Charleston and partners.
The 25 Building Enclosure Council (BEC) chapters around the country are not known for sitting still, but BEC Charleston may have earned the title of most hands-on chapter this year. It recently completed a Net-Zero Energy House in Mount Pleasant, S.C.
The chapter, along with partners East Cooper Habitat for Humanity and the East Cooper Rotary Club, as well as local media and community volunteers, attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the house on December 9. The event culminated two-plus years of effort to provide a family of four with a new 1,300 square foot, three bedroom home.
The house will track energy performance data needed for further study and research. Final blower door results indicate the house is meeting its air tightness goals. The energy dashboard is logging and analyzing data from all circuits, including major systems such as solar hot water, photovoltaics and geothermal heat pump. The Net Metering panel is expected to provide a metric for on-site power production. Learn more about the NZEH.
