What’s it like to live here?

“Walking in to comfort” every time you enter this home is the only way I really know how to describe it.  I notice this even more when it starts getting cold outside.  The home I live in now was built in 1988 and has good insulation for the time it was built, however we set back the thermostat when we leave in the morning and “hopefully” have it set right to warm our house up before we get home.  If I go home at lunch I just keep my coat on.

Exterior Rendition

I want to contrast that with the experience walking into this new Zero Energy Ready Home.  This is a model home located at 3909 Estancia in Wichita, Kansas.  I set the thermostat several months ago to keep the temperature between 69 degrees and 78 degrees.  Then I locked the thermostat.  Anytime I walk into THIS house the “comfort” stands out. 

Just driving up to the house it looks like many others.  It is what is not seen that many don’t know about.  While the inside is very modern and full of nice amenities (including one of the coolest bathrooms), it is how it is built that makes it different.  The walls are insulated to an R 24, and the ceiling to R51, and yes – the windows are rated very high as well with U values being around .2 on all windows.  But what does that mean – those are just numbers.  There are even more numbers we can point to where this house surpasses most homes, but the most important number is this:

3909 Estancia – Sign showing the combined gas & electric cost for the previous month.

We have had three months of utility bills now on this house and this sign shows our combined gas and electric bill for October.  While nobody is living in it yet, it is a model home and all of the lights are on every day for showing, and the exterior lights are on all night.  The thermostat is not set back so temperatures are constant and comfortable, and the water heater is keeping hot water all of the time (and it’s electric).  Here are the totals on the last three months:

  • October –  Gas: $46.29,  Electric: $63.34           TOTAL  $109.63
  • September – Gas: $33.19, Electric: $77.49         TOTAL  $110.68
  • August – Gas: $32.49, Electric: $52.35               TOTAL  $ 84.84

We are a big proponent for building homes to the Zero Energy Ready Home standard.  How much extra does it cost?  From 4% – 6% of the total cost of the home.  About the same as a realtor, but with savings you will realize from day one, and for years to come.