Full Title: A New Market Paradigm for Zero-Energy Homes: The Comparative San Diego Case Study
Author(s): B.C. Farhar and T.C. Coburn
Publisher(s): National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Publication Date: December 1, 2006
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
In April 2001, SheaHomes began to offer high-performance – This and other quotes are from homes at Scripps Highlands in San Diego, California. This comments made by owners in the was the first such offering in the United States by a SheaHomes Scripps Highlands production builder. The 306 homes, sold by November communities. 2003, were highly energy efficient; 293 had solar water heating systems; and 120 had photovoltaic (PV) systems. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) used a diffusion-of-innovations theoretical perspective to follow this development over time. The study focused on the builder experience, market response to high-performance homes, increases in home values over time, and the consumption and cost of electricity and gas in the high-performance and adjacent comparison homes. We began our work by meeting with a project advisory group to define key research questions. During the first, qualitative phase of the study, we conducted numerous interviews of executives and staff of SheaHomes, organizations partnering with the builder, and other interested parties. Field work was conducted at the SheaHomes community with early buyers and lost lookers. Researchers collected background information on the home sales processes. Qualitative interviews focused on the homeowners’ reasons for purchase and their perceptions of the energy features of their new homes. In this early phase, a total of 43 respondents in 25 households were interviewed; the information obtained was used to formulate questions for a more extensive survey of all homeowners.