“There will be months when it produces
more than it uses and months when it produces
less – the goal is to be energy neutral over a
12-month period,” Jenkins said.
Homeowners will still receive utility bills from
power companies, but the expenses are mostly
service fees.
Jenkins designed his fi rst net zero home in
2009 in Gainesville, and it was the fi rst of its
kind in the country.
“The second one we built still produces 37
percent more energy than it uses,” Jenkins said.
“Back then, we didn’t know how effective the
design would be … we designed that house
without spray foam in the attic. I don’t believe it
was available at the time.”
The builder now uses spray foam insulation
for houses on the island because it makes for a
non-vented attic. That means no salt-laden air
coming into the home.
Jenkins said solar panels could produce
power immediately. Once the power company
connects the home to the electrical panel, the
energy comes in as direct current and it comes
out of the converter as AC (alternating current).
“It takes the power companies a while to
come out and install the converter,” Jenkins said.
“So it usually takes a few months for the homeowner
to see the reduction in cost on their
electric bill. It doesn’t start feeding the grid until
the panels are hooked up.”
His most recent home on Wheeler Road
uses 30 solar panels on the roof. Rainwater is
collected in a catchment area and channeled
through collection pipes into three cisterns
underneath the home that can hold up to 5,600
gallons.
Above: The newly constructed Net-Zero home on Wheeler Road.
Below: Spray foam insulation used beneath the fl oors and in the attic;
some of the solar panels on the roof; one of the cisterns beneath the
home used to funnel rainwater from the roof.
28 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE January/February 2020