Net- Zero
House
These homeowners used
resources conservatively
and wisely during the
construction process,
and use only renewable
energy sources to reduce
their carbon footprint.
When Dale and Leslie Miller set out to build their dream home, they knew they wanted it to be a green home – one that would be kind to the environment and reduce their carbon footprint.
Dale, an instructor in the environmental studies program
at the University of Colorado at Boulder, says it was “all
about our values.” He says their idea was to build something
that others would pay attention to.
And pay attention they have. ;e home won a 2008 Sustainability Award from the city of Lakewood, Colo., in the
Sustainable Home Construction category. ;e award program was instituted in 2008 to promote green building in the
area. But three years ago, when the Millers ;rst started out,
they found a lot of balking when they mentioned they were
building an “environmentally friendly” house.
“We wanted to build our home with as many green and
sustainable aspects as we both had time for and could a;ord,
using mostly standard construction materials and methods,” Dale says. “Limitations to building green came from
all dimensions, from planning to construction ;nancing to
building codes to ;nding cooperative, informed contractors
and laborers.”
A lot of that changed last year, Dale adds, when there was
a change in city administration. “Last year, we had about 45
people, including the entire city planning department, come
out to tour our home,” he says. “;ey see that it is a normal-looking house just like any other, and they become much
more interested in the newer ideas we incorporated.”
THE RIGHT FIT
Dale, who has a degree in physics, has been building things
all his life. So it was no surprise to Leslie that he wanted to
serve as general contractor for the project. “To me, it was
