Iowa Nest Residence

The Iowa Nest is a Net Zero Energy-targeted residence in rural Iowa. It is designed to supply 100% of its own energy needs; to use ~80% less energy than a conventional new home; to be comfortable without air conditioning; to fit gracefully into the landscape; to last for hundreds of years; and to do all of this on a near-conventional construction budget.

Since the home has been occupied (June 2019) to this writing, the baseline utility bills are $2 per month. During polar vortex of 2019, when the home was still under construction, it proved the impact of passive design when it maintained indoor temperature of 55 degF with exterior temperatures below -25 degF — a delta of more than 80 degF — with NO heating. It repeated this feat again during the polar vortex of early 2021. And the home has remained comfortable during hot, humid Iowa summers without air conditioning.

How did we do it? An integrative, performance-based design process, and careful attention to detail (and to cost) during construction.

You can learn more about the home, dive into the design and construction process, and see live temperature and energy use data at the home's website, www.iowanest.com.

You can also learn more about the approach to thermal comfort in my DAAPx talk, Summer House, Winter House: Designing for Thermal Delight.