First Net-zero Home in San Antonio Uses Spray Foam Insulation

SAN ANTONIO, TX - January 31, 2011 - BuiltSmart Resources recently put the final touches on the first net-zero energy home in San Antonio, Texas, with the help of solar panels from Schott Solar. The Show Home and Resource Center achieved Build San Antonio Green's Level 3 certification, according to a press release for the two companies. 

With an 11.28-kilowatt solar panel system for power, a rainwater catchment system for water and the best green floor plans and insulation technology available, the home provides a blueprint for future net-zero homes in Texas. The home also employs spray foam insulation as a key part of its energy-saving arsenal. Because spray foam is so effective at creating an impenetrable building envelope, it greatly reduces the cost of cooling and heating the home.

That means the power pumped out by the solar panels can go farther and do more, bringing the structure that much closer to net-zero status.

"We are committed to making San Antonio a leader in solar and renewable energy and are proud that San Antonio is home to one of the most energy-efficient homes in Texas," said San Antonio's mayor, Julian Castro.

"Companies like BuiltSmart Resources and Schott Solar are helping us build a strong clean-energy economy in our city and creating good local job," the mayor continued. "We are also pleased to have Build San Antonio Green, the local residential green building program, which developed the criteria for the Level 3 Solar Home and certified this home as green-built."

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