Addison Homes built this 3,444-square-foot custom home in Greer, South Carolina, to the high performance criteria of the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program.

Highly efficient ENERGY STAR appliances and low-flow faucets conserve hot water for utility savings.

Strategically placed windows and solar tubes like the one in this kitchen supplement the ultra-efficient LED lighting fixtures to reduce electric loads in this efficient home.

The large screened porch is equipped with ENERGY STAR ceiling fans to provide a naturally cool place to relax without using air conditioning.

The outdoor fireplace provides the ambiance of a wood fire while keeping combustion moisture and smoke outside of this EPA Indoor airPLUS certified home.

The daylight basement is wrapped in a continuous blanket of insulation with R-16 rigid foam integrated into the precast concrete walls.

A radiant foil barrier adhered to the underside of the roof decking helps to prevent heat transfer in or out of the vented attic, while R-13 unfaced fiberglass fills the advanced-framed 2-by-6 walls.

Open headers above doors and windows on non-load-bearing walls allow for rigid foam and fiberglass to fill these sometimes uninsulated spaces, while low-expanding spray foam fills gaps around the door frame to minimize drafts and heat loss.

The exterior of the home is wrapped in a continuous layer of rigid foam, which stops thermal bridging, the transfer of heat through the studs that occurs in typical homes. With all of the seams taped, this rigid foam can do triple duty as a thermal, air, and moisture barrier and also serves as a drainage plane, eliminating the need to install house wrap.

The 6 kW of solar shingles installed on the roof provide most of the home's power needs, reducing the already low HERS score from 41 without PV to only 13 with PV.