Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley built this 1,160-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.
The energy-efficient home should only cost about $60 per month to heat and cool.
An energy recovery ventilator with a high-efficiency MERV 13 filter and low- and no-VOC paints and finishes add to air quality inside the EPA Indoor airPLUS-certified home.
A sealed, insulated crawlspace helps keep out humidity and bugs for this North Carolina home.
Before installing drywall, the walls are thoroughly air-sealed by caulking the framing to the sheathing and caulking wood-to-wood seams.
From the attic, the ceiling deck below is thoroughly air-sealed by caulking drywall to framing and caulking around wiring and light fixture holes.
Rigid foam provides a continuous blanket of thermal protection around the home. All seams are taped to keep out air and moisture then 1-by-4 furring strips are installed to provide a ventilation and drainage gap behind the engineered wood lap siding.
Unfaced batt insulation was carefully installed to completely fill the wall cavities between the 2-by-6, 24-inch on-center studs.
A single very high-efficiency (12.5 HSPF, 26.1 SEER) ductless mini-split heat pump provides all of the heating and cooling the compact home needs. The ducted ERV helps distribute the conditioned air throughout the home.
A dehumidifier is located in the sealed crawlspace to keep moisture out of the home.

The Rudy Project

Hickory, NC

1,160 sqft

3 Beds

2.0 Baths

1 Floor Above Grade

Affordable

Mixed

Humid

With PV

40HERS (PV)

$60Average Monthly Energy Bill (PV)

$300Annual Energy Cost Savings (PV)

$12,20030 Year Savings (PV)

Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley

Profile

ZERO

2019

Winner

Housing Innovation Award

Learn More

Key Features

All-electric home Compact (core) plumbing design Energy / Heat recovery ventilator Heat pump water heater High-performance wall with continuous insulation Raised-heel trusses

Read the Case Study

(PDF Download)

Testimonials

Watch Videos

Home owner (or occupant) Testimony

The biggest reward is building a home that is not only affordable to purchase, but also affordable to own and operate.

Testimony Citation

Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley

Additional Media

Finished Elevations

Finished Interiors

Under Construction

A sealed, insulated crawlspace helps keep out humidity and bugs for this North Carolina home.
Before installing drywall, the walls are thoroughly air-sealed by caulking the framing to the sheathing and caulking wood-to-wood seams.
From the attic, the ceiling deck below is thoroughly air-sealed by caulking drywall to framing and caulking around wiring and light fixture holes.
Rigid foam provides a continuous blanket of thermal protection around the home. All seams are taped to keep out air and moisture then 1-by-4 furring strips are installed to provide a ventilation and drainage gap behind the engineered wood lap siding.
Unfaced batt insulation was carefully installed to completely fill the wall cavities between the 2-by-6, 24-inch on-center studs.

Other Images

A single very high-efficiency (12.5 HSPF, 26.1 SEER) ductless mini-split heat pump provides all of the heating and cooling the compact home needs. The ducted ERV helps distribute the conditioned air throughout the home.
A dehumidifier is located in the sealed crawlspace to keep moisture out of the home.

The Rudy Project

The Rudy Project

With PV

Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley

ZERO

Learn More

Key Features

Read the Case Study

Testimonials

Watch Videos

Additional Media

Finished Elevations

Finished Interiors

Under Construction

Other Images

Floor Plan