Solar System and Storage Essential to Zero Energy Ready Homes

Solar panels, battery storage plus service to manage them equals a win for consumers and the environment.

When Beazer Homes and Green Builder Media partnered to develop VISION House Las Vegas: Crossing the Rubicon, a solar power and battery storage system provided by Sunnova was a natural fit. 

Beazer’s two model homes at the master planned community of Cadence in Henderson just outside of Las Vegas, along with a “deconstructed” model to showcase the behind-the-walls features of the home, will meet the Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home requirements. Beazer Homes is committed to building all future homes to those elevated sustainability standards.

Sunnova, a clean-energy company founded in Houston in 2012, provides tailored energy solutions such as solar panels, battery storage, energy management systems and EV chargers to their more than 419,000 customers, as well as a 25-year service guarantee through Sunnova Protect. 

“Beazer’s Zero Energy Ready Home efforts demonstrate the same commitment Sunnova has to a sustainably powered future,” says Dirk Korte, vice president, national home builder sales for Sunnova. “As a clean energy company, this is in our DNA – and so is service. Customers and business partners can feel good knowing we’re a company that’s committed to exacting standards of service and quality control.”

By day, Sunnova’s residential solar system powers your home and sends excess energy to the grid or to a battery storage system. At night, your home is powered by the grid or by the energy stored in your battery. If net metering is available in your area, your utility company may credit you for excess energy produced by your solar system. 

Sunnova also offers a smart panel to monitor your electricity to know what appliances or systems in your house are consuming energy and when that power is being used. The smart panel can be used to conserve energy and schedule use during non-peak hours when electricity may be less expensive. If there’s a power outage, the smart panel can be used to turn off something you may not need such as the EV charger and leave on the refrigerator to keep your food safe. 

Consumers have embraced solar systems as one of the most effective ways to reduce their reliance on the grid and match their personal sustainability goals. 

Benefits of Batteries

While solar panels on their own are beneficial, the addition of solar batteries such as Sunnova’s Tesla Powerwall provides the ability to store surplus electricity that can be used when solar production is low or during a power interruption. 

In a recent COGNITION Smart Data survey, Green Builder asked builders to share why their buyers asked for battery storage systems. For all generations of buyers, the number one reason to install a battery storage system is for energy cost savings. The second reason given by millennials and Gen Z buyers is for time of energy use optimization, followed by for backup power supply.

Source: COGNITION Smart Data

Solar Systems and Resilience

Installing a solar system with battery storage is an important component to disrupting the traditional energy landscape, but keeping those systems in optimal condition is also important. 

“We want to provide an unparalleled service experience that can’t be found anywhere else,” Korte says. “We do this by combining our innovative technologies, tailored energy solutions and a service-first approach to provide greater energy independence, greater consumer choice, grid support, and reduced emissions for a more sustainable future.”

Sunnova Protect provides 25-year coverage of their solar systems and batteries and includes:

• System monitoring with access to energy production data.
• System diagnosis with remote access.
• Management of repairs and replacements.
• Zero out-of-pocket expenses.
• Insurance against theft or damage.

Since solar batteries typically have a lifespan of 15 years, Sunnova’s Platinum Protect plan factors in the cost to replace the battery at least once. In addition, Sunnova provides 10 years of protection to repair damage from possible roof penetration during the installation of solar panels.

In most locations, Sunnova offers an “Energy Guarantee” that commits the company to credit homeowners if the level of energy produced doesn’t meet the standard specified in their agreement. 

A solar system with battery storage contributes to resilience to climate change in a variety of ways, including the ability to access back-up energy during a power outage and to be less dependent on the grid. In addition, using renewable energy is another step towards reducing reliance on fossil fuels that harm the environment and contribute to climate change. 

When Green Builder asked consumers what they would do if they received a $150,000 windfall to use towards making their home more resilient to climate change, adding solar panels and storage is highly ranked across multiple generations, reflecting a widespread acknowledgment of the benefits of renewable energy and storage solutions for enhancing home resilience and sustainability.

Source: COGNITION Smart Data

Sunnova’s participation in the VISION House Las Vegas will demonstrate to builders, architects and consumers the innovations that contribute to sustainability and can lead to energy independence.