• Bigger and better windows that brighten and heat the house by capturing the sun’s heat without letting it escape.
  
• No furnace! High performance homes use efficient heat pumps which provide both heat and air conditioning.  Heat pumps eliminate the need for oil chugging furnaces that break down and have variable fuel costs.
  
• More insulation keeps you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
  
• Non-Toxic building materials used to build the home. 
  
• Fresh air exchangers make it healthier for the whole family.
  
• Draft-free Walls -typically twice as thick as those in a conventionally built home, significantly reduces noise from outside.
  
• Cut your utility costs in half because they are built tightly.  
  
• Adding Solar Panels can eliminate your all or most of your electric bills. ​

​This is called NetZero or Net energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site.

​Conventional home VS High Performance;
What are the advantages of a High Performance Home?

Lower utility bills
Home stays warm during power outage
Fresher air flow
More light inside your home from large windows

Net Zero

Net zero homes generally do not increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but they do at times consume energy from the grid.  The net zero principle is viewed as a means to reduce carbon emissions and reduce dependence on non-renewable energy and although net zero homes remain unique they are gaining importance and popularity.

Contrary to popular belief, net zero homes do not require batteries.  Most net zero homes use some level of energy from the grid at times (i.e. cloudy days, nights, and the coldest winter days), but can also return surplus energy at other times (i.e. sunny days, and throughout the summer months) that can be credited on energy need days.   Homes that produce a surplus of energy over the year may be called "net positive”. Energy is usually harvested on-site through energy producing technologies like solar and wind, while also reducing the overall use of energy within the home with highly efficient construction, HVAC, appliances and lighting technologies.

To achieve this pinnacle level of green living, every component within the home is specifically designed to reduce the overall energy required for operation.  The homes we represent are tight and super insulated and our houses are oriented for optimum solar exposure.  There is no better feeling knowing that your home is not dependent on the ever changing, increasingly expensive gas, oil and electric markets. Our net zero homes do not require any fossil fuels.  

Contact US

Melissa Richter

Broker

Melissa is a Local Expert in NetZero High Performance Homes and Home Building.  She practices what she preaches, living in a beautifully designed NetZero home in Cumberland, Maine.  She couldn’t be happier.  Some of the benefits she has already experienced, is an almost non-existent electricity bill and a healthier, happy family.

Bruce Kaplan

Listing and High Performance specialist

The Richter Group added  Agent, Bruce Kaplan, formerly of BrightBuilt Homes/ Thompson and Kaplan Home Designs, as their newest team member and High Performance Home Specialist.  Bruce works with Buyers who want to build or purchase High Performance/Net-Zero Energy homes.  He has established relationships with Local Builders, property developers and other Real Estate Agents.