A House? A Laboratory? NIST's Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility

Published

September 14, 2016

Author(s)

Arthur H. Fanney

Abstract

In 2012 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) completed the construction of a Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility (NZERTF) http://www.nist.gov/el/nzertf/ to demonstrate that it is possible to achieve net-zero for a house with conventional architecture, amenities, and size compared to homes in the surrounding area. The facility also serves as a test bed to evaluate residential renewable and energy efficient technologies and various approaches to improving indoor air quality. Built on NIST’s Gaithersburg, MD campus, this LEED Platinum home incorporates a vast array of renewable and energy efficient technologies. Unique features include three independent ground source heat exchangers, a radiant basement floor heating system, a solar hot water system with variable solar collector area and storage capacity, a 10.2 kW photovoltaic system, and a ducted heat recovery ventilation system. The facility also incorporates three different means of providing conditioned air throughout the house – a sealed sheet metal air distribution system; a high-velocity air distribution system; and provisions to incorporate a multi-head mini split heat pump system.

Citation

High Performance Buildings Magazine www.HPBmagazine.org

Volume

Fall 2016

Issue

Fall 2016

Pub Type

Others

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Keywords

net-zero energy buildings, photovoltaic, solar thermal, heat recovery ventilator, indoor air quality, test facility

Citation

Fanney, A. (2016), A House? A Laboratory? NIST's Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility, High Performance Buildings Magazine www.HPBmagazine.org, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=921494 (Accessed October 13, 2025)