Brad Leavitt Podcast Creating a Net-Zero Iconic Home with Renee Dee & Mark LaLiberte
Brad, Renee, and Mark have joined forces on a project started by Mark himself called the Net-Zero Iconic Home, also known as the Desert Comfort Home. Simply put, this is a home that produces as much energy as it consumes.
Mark, one of the foremost experts in the country on building science and sustainability, has decided to apply his expertise into building a sustainable house that he can call his own. He has selected Brad to be the builder of the Desert Comfort Home, while Renee and Iconic Life have been chosen to lead the project’s marketing efforts.
Listen in as Renee, Brad, and Mark define their vision for a net-zero home and how a house can be comfortable and aesthetically pleasing while being sustainable and energy-efficient all at the same time.
* Follow the Year-Long Sustainability Journey
Topics Discussed:
- 02:41 What is a net-zero home?
- 08:20 How the Desert Comfort home captures rain to water the landscaping
- 10:50 Promoting the project
- 13:11 Why education on the benefits of net-zero homes starts with builders
- 15:34 The long-term savings of investing in a net-zero home
- 25:29 The incredibly unhealthy conditions of traditional indoor environments
- 28:35 Creating healthy water in a net-zero home
- 29:55 Making an impact using your platform
- 32:50 How this project has inspired Brad in his business
- 38:00 Optimizing the interior space
- 41:22 Where we are on the project timeline right now and where we are headed
Connect with Renee Dee of Iconic Life:
Connect with Mark LaLiberte of Construction Instruction:
Key Quotes:
- A net-zero house, or a net-zero-ready house, is a house that, for the future, allows the energy consumption to be low enough that an alternate system like a solar system can actually provide the ancillary energy needed that the building doesn’t consume in terms of thermal performance. ~Mark
- We have to create houses that are stunningly efficient and really durable; but the only way to do that is to really focus on how the building enclosure is more than just an enclosure. It’s a place for family and it’s a place for comfort. ~Mark
- A net-zero home creates as much energy as it consumes. ~Renee
- The more we educate the public on net-zero homes, the more that they’re going to gravitate to it, and it doesn’t have to be mandated by the government. ~Brad