Net-zero luxury homes – They're possible and instructive

Marc Rutenberg Homes is proving that net-zero-energy homes are possible -- in Tampa, in a luxury format, with 4,000 - 7,000 square feet of conditioned space.

This story is significant because it answers the debate that some have over "McMansion green." First, I'd much rather see these large homes not consume fossil fuels, plain and simple. But Rutenberg and his team are also building a 14-home development of smaller net-zero houses (1,800 to 2,600 square feet), effectively demonstrating that lessons learned at the upper end of the market can – pardon the phrasing – trickle down to the affordable level. I count that as a net-plus all around.

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