Net-Zero Home Uses Spray Foam to Eliminate Energy Costs

BAY COUNTY, MICHIGAN - March 14, 2011 - A new, "net-zero" home in Bay County, Michigan will never have to pay energy bills, reports the Midland Daily News. Thanks to spray foam insulation, solar shingles, low-flow plumbing and geothermal heating, the structure can be maintained at a constant temperature without burning an ounce of fossil fuels.

"There's foam on the outside, foam around the basement, foam under the floor, foam around the windows and foam in the attic," Melissa Wahl told the paper. "So basically we're in a cooler - a cooler of foam."

Melissa and her husband Mark are the owners of Cobblestone Homes in Freeland, and their company built the structure as a kind of model, an exemplar to prove to both clients and customers what can be done with sustainable building. "This home is actually overkill," Melissa says.

They cite keeping an airtight building envelope as their number one priority - by preventing leaks and drafts, they conserve every bit of heat that they can, making it far easier to keep the building at a livable temperature. They've partnered with Dow Corning and Dow Chemical, a major manufacturer of spray foam insulation, to achieve this goal.

Thousands have reportedly visited the house since it was completed last year, and it will likely go on the market in May 2011. The price for the 1,750-square-foot home should be set at around $300,000. 

"If it's affordable for people, then yes, that's our goal," Wahl told the paper.