Market Response to New Zero Energy Homes in San Diego, California

摘要

A new development by SheaHomes at Scripps Highlands in San Diego, California, offers "high performance" homes. These homes, sometimes called "zero energy homes" (ZEHs), can produce as much energy as they consume, resulting in a net zero energy consumption. They feature efficiency, solar water heating and solar electricity. Although the Scripps Highland homes are not truly ZEHs, they are the closest examples of near-ZEHs being built by a large production builder. These homes enable homeowners to reduce utility bills by at least 30% to 50% over a conventionally built home. Thus, the Scripps Highlands development is an excellent research case. Of the 306 homes being offered at Scripps Highlands, 293 will have solar water heating and 88 will have a 1.2-kW solar electric system with net metering as standard features. Buyers of another 185 homes can opt for 1.2-kW systems. Most of the buyers have the option to upgrade to 2.4 kW. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is also conducting a study of consumer response to these homes. The first phase involves a qualitative investigation of the factors affecting the purchase decisions of ZEH homebuyers. This paper covers this qualitative phase, reporting results of open-ended personal interviews with a purposive sample of homeowners on their reasons for purchasing ZEHs; their preferences for standard and optional systems; perceptions of the ZEH energy features; changes in energy knowledge, attitudes, and behavior as a result of moving in; ZEH impacts on homeowner utility bills; and perceived problems, aesthetics, and homebuyer satisfaction and the reasons for it.