At about 1,700 square feet, the bi-level three bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom home features a number of earth-friendly elements including Forest Stewardship Council certified engineered hardwood floors, EPA WaterSense certified Toto plumbing and fixtures and Bosch appliances.


Bosch also created the suite of products that make the home a zero net energy house.


"It is hard to find a company that could make everything and would stay in business," Black said. Other companies, he said, could sell one aspect, but only Bosch was able to provide a full system including 18 solar panels that react chemically with UV rays to generate electricity. They also make the geothermal pump, which heats and cools the house from below ground where the earth's temperature is more consistent than the air used by traditional air pumps.


A good amount of the home's $499,000 price tag can be attributed to the geothermal heat pump. The higher the tonnage of the pump, the deeper its well needs to be, Black said, and digging wells is expensive. But a net zero system should pay for itself in about five to six years, Black said, and federal and state tax credits help offset costs. As the trend continues, consumers may see net zero homes as low as $210,000, he said.


Already, Eco Plus —a company founded last year —has built 20 Bosch Net Zero homes in North America, with 6 in Georgia, including one more under construction at Serenbe.


"There are a lot of good technologies, but some are hard to live with," Black said. "This is what we have put together and we are still perfecting it."


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