The Country's Largest ZNE Community Welcomes Its First Tenants at UC Davis

shaded windows at UC Davis West Village (credit: Frederic Larson)

The country's largest planned ZNE community of its kind has officially opened on the University of California at Davis campus.

While it may seem like just your typical-yet stylish housing development, look beyond the amenities (which include a video game-playing area and sand volleyball court) and you'll see solar panels on the roof of every building and parking area canopy. In total, the panels provide a 4-megawatt photovoltaic system that will generate enough electricity over the course of the year to meet all the needs of the residents, planners say.

The development, dubbed UC Davis West Village, is a joint public-private partnership with funding from UC Davis, San Francisco real estate developers Carmel Partners, Urban Villages of Denver (who oversaw construction and own and manage the community) and grants from state and federal government.  

The first phase of the development now houses about 850 students.

Learn more about UC Davis West Village. 

First ZNE Multi-Housing Community Opens in Washington

zHomes in Issaquah (source: Multi-Housing News)

A ZNE, carbon-neutral multifamily community has opened its doors in Issaquah, Washington. Dubbed zHomes, these homes use zero net energy and 70 percent less water than other residences. 

According to Brad Liljequist, zHome project manager with the City of Issaquah, this project shows that ZNE is an achievable goal, which could make a big impact on CO2 emissions in the United States. Liljequist says about 40 percent of all CO2 emissions in the nation come from buildings.

With solar panels on top of the homes, the community will be like a mini-power generation plant in the summer, putting solar energy back on the electrical grid. During the winter when the sun is lower, it will be a net-energy user, equaling out energy used to zero over the course of the year.

This community is built in private and public partnership between the City of Issaquah, Built Green, King County, Port Blakely Communities, Puget Sound Energy and the Washington State University Energy Program.