HARTFORD, Conn., June 1, 2019 – The Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity (HAHFH) and partners Eversource, Home Energy Technologies, Posigen and Connecticut Green Bank recently celebrated the construction of Habitat’s first Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH), located at 153 Roosevelt in South Hartford.

Unveiled during a dedication ceremony on May 31, the Roosevelt home is built to Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home standards, and is so energy efficient it can offset all or most of its energy consumption.

The Walton family receiving keys to their new zero energy home.

“Since 2002, we have built ENERGY STAR standard homes. For Hartford Habitat’s 30th anniversary, we wanted to build a high-performance, sustainable home that would decrease the burden of homeownership and make it more affordable for our clients,” said Hartford Habitat Executive Director Karraine Moody. “Thanks to Eversource’s energy efficiency expertise, our volunteers and other partners, we achieved our goal of creating a more affordable housing option for the Hartford community, and be the first Habitat organization in Connecticut to build a Zero Energy Ready Home.”

“We are thrilled that Hartford is home to Connecticut’s first Zero Energy Ready Home by Habitat,” said Mayor Luke Bronin. “Habitat for Humanity changes lives and lifts up communities by expanding home ownership opportunities, and combining that mission with cutting-edge green building and sustainability efforts is really powerful.”

“Home ownership has a lasting impact on families, and ensuring that it is affordable is critical to building stronger communities,” said Eversource Vice President of Energy Efficiency Tilak Subrahmanian. “At Eversource, we take pride in building modern, sustainable housing, and because of Habitat’s commitment, we were able to advance the zero energy housing movement into Hartford’s affordable housing sector. It’s partnerships like these that will help us lower emissions and achieve a clean-energy future.”

“We are very proud to partner with Habitat for Humanity to build a Net-Zero home,” said Tom Neyhart, PosiGen CEO. “Until now, most people believed that Net-Zero Construction was only for the affluent.  At PosiGen, we believe we can only achieve true change if all families, no matter what their economic status is, are included. Solar for All is PosiGen’s mission and we believe this partnership with Habitat for Humanity is a huge step in the right direction!

To achieve the ZERH designation, the Roosevelt home had to achieve several criteria, such as optimal thermal protection, whole house water protection, high-performance heating and cooling, high-efficiency components, comprehensive indoor air quality, and solar ready construction.

The 1,200 square foot, three-bedroom home features ENERGY STAR-certified appliances, low-flow fixtures, a heat pump hot water heater, air tight construction and solar panels. It also achieved a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index of –15, which is the industry standard for measuring a home’s energy efficiency. As a ZERH, the Roosevelt home will be at least 40-50 percent more energy efficient than a typical new home, leaving the homeowners with a net zero energy bill, and a carbon free-home.