New "Net Zero" Energy Home Opens in North Pointe Community City Invest in a Nexus Energy Home
Frederick, MD -- On Friday June 17th, The City of Frederick in partnership with The Housing Authority, Nexus Energy Homes and Maryland Clean Energy Center opened the first "net zero" energy home in the North Point Community located on North Bentz Street.
Mayor Randy McClement along with Kevin Lollar, Project Manager Frederick Housing Authority; Paul Zanecki, Nexus Energy Homes President, Kathy Magruder, Director of the Maryland Clean Energy Center, and Senator Ron Young, joined together today to celebrate the grand opening and tour of the North Pointe Nexus energy efficient home.
Mayor Randy McClement stated that, "energy conservation and efficiency at all levels in our community will help us build a stronger more sustainable City. That is something we all care about."
The City of Frederick Department of Economic Development coordinated the investment of a $70,000 repayable loan in the renewable energy components of the new "net zero energy home" using the funds provided by Maryland Clean Energy Center. Richard Griffin, Director of Economic Development stated that he was pleased that his department was able to participate in the successful HOPE VI grant application nearly a decade ago and now with the construction of such a terrific project.
The City of Frederick has been a supporter of the North Pointe project from the onset of the Hope VI Project. The Hope VI Project is designed to redevelop blighted housing projects and resulted in contributing to the revitalization of the North End of Downtown Frederick. The City contributed land and over $4 million towards the Bernard Brown Community Center which is now the focal point for the "new north end" and houses organizations and companies like Moxie Café, CALM, NAACP and many others.
According to Paul Zanecki, CEO of NEXUS Energy Homes, "Nexus is very grateful to The City of Frederick for presenting us with the opportunity to not only fulfill, but expand on the goals for the new North End. With the construction of this renewable energy, carbon-neutral GeoSolar Community, we mutually exemplify the model that combining both public and private resources works for the greater benefit of all our citizens."
Showing posts with label Frederick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frederick. Show all posts
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Green Home Development Opens in Frederick
55 zero-energy houses will inhabit area that once was location of 146 public housing units
by Tripp laino, Staff Writer
Dozens of Frederick residents and city officials attended the grand opening for Nexus Energy Homes new zero-energy housing on Friday. The North Pointe community is located at the intersection of Bentz and Lord Nickens Streets.
People searching for a way to save on utility bills won’t have to look far in Frederick, now that the first green home development is open for business.
Located along Bentz Street, the North Pointe development features 55 zero-energy homes built by Nexus Energy Homes. The houses were showcased Friday at a ceremony with dozens of residents, city and state officials present.
Kevin Lollar, the director of development for the Housing Authority of the city of Frederick, called the new home’s design, “the house of the future.”
“This site, HOPE VI, is about vision,” he said. It’s about doing something different with housing. … If we don’t reduce our carbon footprint, our carbon footprint is going to reduce us.”
“We want to change the paradigm of what a home is and the way it performs,” he said.
“…Anyone would want to live here. It’s a home that’s simply superior [to] anything else on the market.”
Four of the homes have been sold already. Barbara Dillon, who attended the grand opening, is one of the new owners, and said she currently lives in Montgomery County with her husband, Joseph. She said they were “empty nesters” looking to relocate, but didn’t have green energy in mind until discovering the development. “We never would have looked at a townhouse if not for the green energy,” she said. “…We didn’t even know it existed, and found it looking at the housing available.”
The homes have a myriad of environmentally friendly features, including resource conservation, such as power and water, and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems.
Part of the funding for the homes came via a $70,000 grant from the Maryland Clean Energy Center. The program was one of 10 elected by the center to receive funding assistance supplied by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Maryland Energy Administration.
The grant was called a "pass through" grant by Richard Griffin, Frederick's director of economic development, during a public meeting March 17. In effect, the city receives a $70,000 grant which it then gives to Nexus Energy for constructing the homes. After the homes are sold, the company repays the grant to the Maryland Clean Energy Center by setting aside a portion of each home sold, and the grant money is given to start another green project.
According to a press release announcing the grant, the homes have solar and geothermal power generation, smart operating systems and energy efficient materials to generate as much or more energy than the home consumes, creating a "net-zero" demand on local energy supplies. In the case of excess energy, the power is sold back to the utility company.
Paul Zanecki, president of Nexus Energy Homes, based in Stevensville, praised the efforts of the city in bringing grant money to the group, and said the new homes would change the way people thought about green energy homes.
The geothermal system uses a closed loop that passes a refrigerant into the ground, where the temperature is a constant 57 degrees. It is then brought through the system into the house, where it is used to raise or lower the room temperature.
Green homes cost more to build, but the price of the Nexus homes are on par with average home prices in Frederick city according to Zanecki. A flyer distributed at the grand opening listed the home’s starting price at $230,000 after tax credits and energy savings. Zanecki said the homes are within five to seven percent of their traditionally built counterparts, but that some of that cost can be made up by tax credits.
by Tripp laino, Staff Writer
Dozens of Frederick residents and city officials attended the grand opening for Nexus Energy Homes new zero-energy housing on Friday. The North Pointe community is located at the intersection of Bentz and Lord Nickens Streets.
People searching for a way to save on utility bills won’t have to look far in Frederick, now that the first green home development is open for business.
Located along Bentz Street, the North Pointe development features 55 zero-energy homes built by Nexus Energy Homes. The houses were showcased Friday at a ceremony with dozens of residents, city and state officials present.
Kevin Lollar, the director of development for the Housing Authority of the city of Frederick, called the new home’s design, “the house of the future.”
“This site, HOPE VI, is about vision,” he said. It’s about doing something different with housing. … If we don’t reduce our carbon footprint, our carbon footprint is going to reduce us.”
“We want to change the paradigm of what a home is and the way it performs,” he said.
“…Anyone would want to live here. It’s a home that’s simply superior [to] anything else on the market.”
Four of the homes have been sold already. Barbara Dillon, who attended the grand opening, is one of the new owners, and said she currently lives in Montgomery County with her husband, Joseph. She said they were “empty nesters” looking to relocate, but didn’t have green energy in mind until discovering the development. “We never would have looked at a townhouse if not for the green energy,” she said. “…We didn’t even know it existed, and found it looking at the housing available.”
The homes have a myriad of environmentally friendly features, including resource conservation, such as power and water, and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems.
Part of the funding for the homes came via a $70,000 grant from the Maryland Clean Energy Center. The program was one of 10 elected by the center to receive funding assistance supplied by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Maryland Energy Administration.
The grant was called a "pass through" grant by Richard Griffin, Frederick's director of economic development, during a public meeting March 17. In effect, the city receives a $70,000 grant which it then gives to Nexus Energy for constructing the homes. After the homes are sold, the company repays the grant to the Maryland Clean Energy Center by setting aside a portion of each home sold, and the grant money is given to start another green project.
According to a press release announcing the grant, the homes have solar and geothermal power generation, smart operating systems and energy efficient materials to generate as much or more energy than the home consumes, creating a "net-zero" demand on local energy supplies. In the case of excess energy, the power is sold back to the utility company.
Paul Zanecki, president of Nexus Energy Homes, based in Stevensville, praised the efforts of the city in bringing grant money to the group, and said the new homes would change the way people thought about green energy homes.
The geothermal system uses a closed loop that passes a refrigerant into the ground, where the temperature is a constant 57 degrees. It is then brought through the system into the house, where it is used to raise or lower the room temperature.
Green homes cost more to build, but the price of the Nexus homes are on par with average home prices in Frederick city according to Zanecki. A flyer distributed at the grand opening listed the home’s starting price at $230,000 after tax credits and energy savings. Zanecki said the homes are within five to seven percent of their traditionally built counterparts, but that some of that cost can be made up by tax credits.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Net-Zero Energy House Seen as Model for the Future
By Ed Waters Jr.
Photo by Bill Green
The model home of the new "net-zero" project that are part of the Hope VI program North Pointe off North Bentz Street.
A net-zero community in Frederick should be a model for the nation, said several speakers on Friday at the opening of North Pointe in Downtown Frederick.
Part of the Hope VI program, North Pointe off North Bentz Street will contain 55 dwellings, all designed to use little if any energy.
"It is all about vision," said Kevin Lollar, director of development for the Housing Authority of Frederick.
Lollar said state Sen. Ron Young had brought Paul Zanecki, CEO of Nexus EnergyHomes, to the Housing Authority Office to talk about a potential net-zero community in the city. Young said he had initially envisioned the project at the east end of the city, where development is planned.
"That wasn't ready," Young said of the area around the relatively new section of South East Street. Young said he would still like to see that area become self-sustaining when built up.
But the area off North Bentz Street, which formerly housed low-income housing, was seen as the perfect site for the new community.
Elected officials, builders and interested buyers toured the model house at 620 N. Bentz St. The 2,750-square-foot house has insulation and a structure that make the building quiet, efficient and well-constructed. Although listed for nearly $278,000, the house would sell for $264,900 with energy tax credits and incentives. Four buyers have already put down deposits on future houses.
The house uses solar panels that blend into the roof, geothermal heating and cooling, and a high-tech system that allows control of climate and security using an iPhone or laptop.
Zanecki said the air in the house is exchanged every 48 minutes to keep it clean from pollutants and other potential effects on health.
Over the years, people have built net-zero energy homes, but they were "spaceship" houses, Zanecki said. "They were built for an individual. What I had the vision of was for homes affordable to the general consumer."
Financing was a major hurdle, Zanecki said. The project is funded primarily through investors, though at a brief ceremony Friday morning the project was presented a check for $70,000 from the Maryland Clean Energy Commission.
Donald Briggs, an appraiser and member of the county's Sustainability Committee, appraised the house. He said besides the durability of construction, he included the net savings in energy in adjusting the affordability of the house.
Zanecki said his company worked with the National Association of Home Builders, following the organization's green standards guidelines. The model house, as will all of the homes, will meet Emerald Standards for energy, the highest level of efficiency, based on the association's research center criteria.
"We are changing the dynamics of what a house is, and we can visualize the streetscape of the future," Zanecki said.
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