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Northstone Bungalow

    • Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley built this 1,232-square-foot affordable home in Hickory, North Carolina, to the high performance criteria of the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program.
    • Even without solar panels, this home achieved an impressive Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score of 46, well below the 80 to 100 of typical new homes.
    • Volunteers helped construct this energy-efficient, moisture- and pest-resistant home that should provide its new owners with a comfortable place and low utility bills for years to come.
    • The 2-by-4, 16-inch on-center walls are constructed with advanced framing techniques like open headers over windows and ladder blocking at intersecting walls, which provides more space for the R-15 blown fiberglass insulation.
    • The R-10 EPS foam has taped seams so the rigid foam can serve as the drainage plane while 2-by-4 furring strips provide an air gap behind the engineered wood siding.
    • The sealed and insulated crawlspace provides a clean temperate environment.
    • The roof decking consists of a coated OSB that is taped at the seams to provide a water-resistant covering under the 30-year asphalt shingles.
    • The compact, one-story home is heated and cooled with one ducted high-efficiency mini-split heat pump (18 SEER, 10 HSPF) that is located in the conditioned crawlspace.
    • The home is equipped with an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) that operates continuously at 42 cfm to bring in fresh air and exhaust stale air.

      Northstone Bungalow

      Project Address

      Hickory, NC

      Conditioned Square Footage
      1,232 sqft
      Number of Bedrooms
      3 Beds
      Number of Bathrooms
      2.0 Baths
      Number of Floors Above Grade
      1 Floor Above Grade
      Home Type
      Affordable
      Climate Zone Temperature
      Mixed
      Climate Zone Humidity
      Humid

      With PV

      HERS Index with PV
      46HERS (PV)
      Average Monthly Energy Bill PV
      $65Average Monthly Energy Bill (PV)
      Annual Energy Cost Savings with PV
      $700Annual Energy Cost Savings (PV)
      30 Year Savings with PV
      $29,00030 Year Savings (PV)

      Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley

      ZERO

      HIA Year
      HIA Status
      Winner
      HIA Category
      Housing Innovation Award

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      Key Features

      Key Features
      All-electric home Energy / Heat recovery ventilator Heat pump water heater

      See the Poster

      Testimonials

      Video Testimonial

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      Home owner (or occupant) Testimony
      My son and I used to live in an apartment without central air conditioning, just a window unit. It was stuffy, made our allergies worse, and it was expensive to heat and cool. Now we live in a Zero Energy Ready Home that is comfortable, with healthy air to breathe, and our energy bills have decreased.
      Testimony Citation
      Homeowner

      Additional Media

      Finished Elevations

        Under Construction

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          Other Images

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            Floor Plan