Knaggs Construction built this 4,566-square-foot home in Kearney, Nebraska, to the performance criteria of the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program.

The site has the advantage of a southern exposure for future solar panels. The slope allowed for the construction of a daylight basement providing living space without increasing the building footprint.

LED lighting reduces energy use, while low- and no-VOC paints, finishes, cabinets, and flooring help keep contaminants out of the air and help the home qualify for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Indoor airPLUS certification.

High-efficiency ENERGY STAR appliances include the clothes washer, refrigerator, dishwasher, exhaust fans, and the geothermal heat pump.

Water-conserving fixtures and short pipe runs reduce water usage and cut the amount of energy needed to heat that water.

Although the site already had sandy soil and considerable slope, Knaggs Construction took steps to protect the foundation from moisture including laying 6 inches of packed gravel before pouring the concrete slab, using perforated plastic footing forms that stay in place after the concrete footings are poured to provide foundation drainage, damp-proofing the basement walls, and installing drains in all of the window wells.

Attic knee walls are insulated with rigid foam and sealed with spray foam to help form a continuous draft barrier around attic rooms.

Draft-free construction includes sealing the ceiling drywall to the top plates with latex spray foam. Knaggs’ crews also seal seams in the plastic vapor barrier before pouring the foundation slab, at the slab-to-foundation wall seams, at the wall-to-bottom plate seams, and at the plywood sheathing corners and top plate seams.