HPBC Meeting: 12 Steps to Zero Energy

Join us to hear Ted Clifton, IBS speaker, educator, innovator, speak to 12 Steps to Designing & Building Zero-Energy Homes. He will be joining us virtually from Washington state.


By Ted Clifton: The thought leads to the deed.

Before you can build a great home, you have to think about building a great home.  You need to learn what goes into a great home, so that you are prepared to execute your thought.  So, what does go into a great home?

Start with a great floor plan to make life easy for your client.  Add in a pinch of style to please the eye.  Throw in a few nice appliances, and granite counter tops.  But is this enough to make a home great?  Perhaps a great floor plan and a stylish look are only the marks of a mediocre home, just good enough, but not great.

What can you build that will truly make your client’s life better?   Can you build in more take-home pay?  Can you build in less maintenance, and a higher level of durability?  Can you build something that will relieve financial worries over increasing future costs?  Can you build in a greater comfort level regarding your client’s place in the world?  The answer to all these questions is a resounding yes!

I began to think about building zero-energy homes in 2005.  I soon came to realize that simply making the home provide all its own energy was not enough; that we all use that much more energy driving our cars, and even more operating our businesses.  It is only when we can build a home that supplies the energy for all of these needs that we have truly accomplished what we set out to do:  Relieve our clients, and their families, of the stress we are all feeling over the uncertainties of our futures.  The thought led to the deed.

We have since designed and built hundreds of homes that will accomplish these goals for our owners.  Our line of Positive NRG™ Homes represent the pinnacle of what a great home can be in today’s world.  Our Positive NRG@ Homes will power their owner’s electric cars up to 30,000 miles per year, in addition to powering themselves. 

For me, it is no longer good enough to just build good homes.  I think every homebuilder should be building great homes.  Again, the thought led to the deed.  I developed the first-ever comprehensive class on how to design and build cost-effective zero-energy homes: “Twelve Steps to Designing and Building Zero-Energy Homes”

This class will be offered in its shortened 1 ½-hour version for the first time by the High Performance Building Council of the HBA of Durham, Orange, & Chatham Counties on Thursday, September 2^nd 2021.  Are you thinking about it?  Let the thought lead to the deed. 

Join us on Thursday, September 2nd for a  journey you will never forget.
Ted L. Clifton, Zero-Energy Plans LLC