A house that demonstrates the feasibility of sustainable home ownership
The Net Zero Home
Located in the historic district of Society Hill in Piscataway, NJ is ‘The NetZero Home’, a sprawling, state-of-the-art 6,000-square-foot LEED Platinum Certified residence built solely with sustainability, energy efficiency and comfort in mind.
With its impressive façade durably constructed of insulated concrete forms and draped with fiber cement siding featuring both vertical and horizontal patterns for a striking effect, this innovative structure is accentuated by handsome cultured stone finishes and two grand stone columns at its entrance.
The subtle look of the travertine walkways intermingled with accent stone, cable railings and cedar accents (struts and soffits), complement the assortment of earth tones, all brought together by a dark bronze standing seam metal roof, providing a clean, crisp finish to this classic, contemporary home.
Run solely on renewable energy sources, every aspect of the home’s design was calculated to conserve energy and capture as much of the sun’s energy for heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. The home features a 31+kW PV solar system on its south-facing roof and nine Tesla Powerwall® storage batteries (7.6 kilowatts each) as a supplemental power source.
The PVKIT® direct-attach™ rail-less, solar mounting solution secures 80 LG high-efficiency solar panels in place, and the PVKONCEAL™ module skirt conceals the lower edge of the modules and all mechanical and electrical components underneath. The roof also features the complete ColorGard® snow retention system.
The challenge
There were numerous challenges on the project, not to mention the ongoing supply chain issues and work stoppages due to the pandemic.
The main metal roof is a fairly complex design with a variety of angles, cuts and intricate roof details. Because it is a custom-built home with so many environmental objectives and requirements, the roof installation was even more complex.
Additionally, Suntuity Home desired quality roof attachments for this new high-end roof. Aesthetics, durability, perfect color and finish matching, and penetration-free attachments that would maintain the roof’s integrity, were all crucial factors in selecting rooftop attachments.
The solution
The metal roof panels, made from 25 percent recycled material, are environmentally friendly and are LEED and ENERGY STAR® compliant. The low-gloss, IR-reflective coating helps reduce energy consumption and will keep the roof surface approximately 60-70 degrees cooler during the summer months.
The roof also serves as the ideal platform for solar integration since the solar panels could be mounted directly onto the standing seams of the roof utilizing S-5!’s penetration-free, solar solution. The PVKIT direct-attach system was selected for its strength, durability and ease of installation.
S-5!’s new PVKONCEAL module skirt creates an attractive, clean, finished look. It also keeps critters, debris and other unwanted objects out from under the solar array.
Additionally, S-5!’s ColorGard mounted to every roof surface protects the grounds from dangerous melting snow and ice sliding off the roof. ColorGard was chosen for its excellent performance, compatibility with Englert’s standing seam panel design and aesthetics.
With strong support for this pilot project, Suntuity Home hopes to set a new visionary trend for sustainable homeownership throughout the country.
Additional Environmental Features
- Warmboard geothermal heating system to heat the entire home
- 5-zone cooling system that follows the path of the sun from East to West
- Dual hybrid backup heat pump
- 3-pane, argon-filled Low E windows
- Panoramic doors
- 18,000-square-foot rain catchment system that will save and recycle up to 40,000 gallons of water per year
- 29,000-gallon infinity pool
Project Team
- Architect: Square Center LLC Architecture and Design
- Design Build Contractor: Suntuity Home
- Roofing Contractor: MBL Construction
- Solar Installer: Suntuity Solar
- Module Manufacturer: DualSun SPRING® hybrid solar panels
- Microinverter Manufacturer: Enphase
- Battery Storage: Tesla storage batteries (7.6 kilowatts each)
- Solar attachments and snow retention: S-5!
Project Stats
- Roof Profile: Englert A1500 snap lock architectural metal roof system Roof Measured: 5,000+ square feet on the main roof + the outdoor adjacent kitchen
- Roof Pitch: 24 degrees
- Solar Project Size: 31+ kW
- Solar Modules: 80 rooftop DualSun’s SPRING® hybrid solar modules
- Battery System: 9 Tesla Powerwall® storage batteries (7.6 kilowatts each)
www.s-5.com