D.C.’s First Carbon-Neutral Home Hits the Market

Back in September, we reported that D.C.'s first carbon neutral home was being built in Capitol Hill. Yesterday, the much-anticipated property hit the market.

The three-bedroom, 3.5-bath home at 19 4th St. N.E. (map) was gutted and renovated by GreenSpur, Inc., a D.C.-based building and design firm that uses sustainability techniques to deliver homes that are energy efficient as well as cost effective.

After overcoming a labyrinth of regulatory hurdles and permitting nightmares given the property’s location four blocks from the Capitol, GreenSpur enlarged the home (from 1,000 to 2,100 square feet), hand dug the basement and, in keeping with their mission statement, made it completely green but priced comparably to other (non-carbon neutral) home in the area.

Living Room Built Using Reused Timber

To achieve carbon neutrality, the four-level home uses cutting-edge mechanical systems including ground source heating and cooling, solar hot water, tankless water heaters, LED lights, and Energy Star appliances to produce a home that will use 60-80 percent less energy than a standard home in the area. The remaining energy needed to power the home is “clean” power purchased from the local utility provider.

In addition to the mechanical systems, timbers from the former property were reused on the interior and the flooring is reclaimed heart of pine from a textile mill in Virginia. Our favorite feature, though, is the patio in the back of the house that has an ethanol fireplace. More specifics about the home below.