ZeroHouz: Ditching Fossil Fuels for a Zero Emissions Home

What would it take to transform a 100 year old house sitting near oil fields into the most sustainable clean energy zero emissions home? EcoJustice Radio spoke with architect Avideh Haghighi on her process overcoming those challenges with her personal project called Zerohouz.

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Clean Energy at Home: The Challenge of Going Net Zero Emissions

Many challenges exist in retrofitting existing homes or apartments into the most sustainable clean energy zero-emissions living spaces. Architect Avideh Haghighi is on a mission to electrify existing single family homes, and she tells the story through her personal project named ZEROHOUZ.

She discussed with EcoJustice Radio the dangers of gas appliances inside homes and why people should consider replacing – and how to replace – their “natural” gas (or some people call it fossil gas) stove, furnace, air conditioning and water heater with electric appliances. Gas stoves and heaters have been found to leak significant amounts of methane — bad for the climate and your health — even when turned off. It’s estimated that over a 20-year period, emissions from gas stoves nationwide could heat the planet as much as half a million cars.

We also looked into why a transition to clean energy in your home or apartment is not a one-size-fits-all question and shared tips on how to get started.

Does Net Zero Energy have a Net Benefit for the climate and our personal health? What happens when our homes become a place for climate action and environmental responsibility by promoting energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

STORY: Passive-Solar Greenhouse-Wrapped Nature House in Sweden

Avideh Haghighi is a Registered Architect with a passion for transforming the built environment towards a net positive impact. She has a decade of experience and a diverse portfolio of work spanning public and private sectors, including the State’s largest Net Zero Carbon building currently under construction. Recently she has turned her attention to the single family housing market, recognizing the need for resources and innovation to decarbonize the existing housing stock. She is applying her knowledge from designing and constructing zero energy commercial buildings to the all-electric deep green retrofit of a 99 year old house dubbed ‘Zerohouz‘.

Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40.

More Info/Resources:  The Switch Is On   

Clean Energy Connection

Redwood Energy Retrofit Guide

What would it take to transform a 100 year old house near oil fields into the most sustainable clean energy zero-emissions house? That was the challenge our guest, architect Avideh Haghighi, took up with her personal project she named ZEROHOUZ
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— EcoJusticeRadio (@EcoJusticeRadio) December 19, 2022

STORY: Biotonomy: Designing Nature-Based Autonomous Buildings and Cities

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

Guest: Avideh Haghighi
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt
Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Published 12 December 2022, Updated 28 December 2022