Net-Zero Home, Sonoma County, California

Residential · Net-zero

Net-Zero Home. Light and generous, and energy-positive.

Our clients wanted a modern, light-filled and generous home, paired with extraordinary energy efficiency. Thanks to a generous solar array, the house produces more energy than it uses.

See the photos Talk to the architects

Net-Zero HomeSonoma County, California

Net-zero, and then someProduces more than it uses
Triple-glazedGerman windows
Double-heightKitchen and dining
Pool + ADUOn the same site

A net-zero goal. A house that went past it.

Net-zero means the energy a home uses over a year is balanced by the energy it produces on site. Here the balance tipped the other way: the house produces a surplus.

Super-insulated walls, passive and active solar design, and triple-glazed German windows keep the inside at a pleasant temperature all year round.

Custom home design
Net-zero energy
Passive solar design
Super-insulated envelope
Pool
ADU

View across Sonoma Valley

The project

Glass, light and a view across the valley.

An open-plan layout connects kitchen, dining and living, with a double-height space that pulls daylight deep into the house.

Large glass walls open to the terrace and the pool, and to the view across Sonoma Valley.

Location: Sonoma County, California
Energy: Net-positive, solar
Windows: Triple-glazed, German
Also on site: Pool, ADU

See every photo

Kitchen and dining under a double-height space — Kitchen and dining with a double-height space.

Living area open to the terrace — A place to enjoy

UV-reflective screens on the glass façade — UV-reflective screens

The glass façade from the lawn — The glass façade

Detail · Performance

Comfort by design, not by the thermostat.

The house is designed to keep itself comfortable. Super-insulated walls hold the temperature, passive solar design lets winter sun in, and triple-glazed German windows keep heat where it belongs.

UV-reflective screens on the glass façade block summer sun before it reaches the rooms, which keeps the house cool without extra energy.