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In late 2009, Flynner Building Co. was approached by the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for participation in St. Jude's Dream Home Program. Created in 1991, the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway is the largest single event fundraiser for St. Jude nationwide – having raised more than $173 million for the hospital to date. Builders, vendors and sponsors donate labor, materials and cash to construct a new home which is later raffled off. The humanitarian campaign creates a unique promotional initiative based around community interaction that is truly incomparable. The 2010 Boise St. Jude Dream Home was designed, built, and verified to reach net zero energy consumption by Flynner Building Co. Simply stated, the home will produce as much energy as it consumes over the course of each year. To achieve this pinnacle level of green building, every component within the home was specified to reduce the overall energy required for operation. The Net Zero home, built by Flynner Building Co. with support from the Department of Energy's Building America program, is designed to show how smart building choices can result in a home that minimizes energy use while maximizing comfort and style. Located in Willowgreens, a sustainable 100% ENERGY STAR® community in Boise on the Boise River Greenbelt, the community is just a minute's walk to the Willow Lane Sports Complex and Park. The Flynner Building Co. project is among the nation's most energy-efficient homes ever built - the first verified Net-Zero Home within Idaho. This home will actually generate as much energy as it uses, delivering on the “net zero” concept of no overall energy consumption and eliminating utility bills for the homeowner. In Idaho, solar energy represents one of the most abundant sources of renewable energy currently available. The Net Zero Dream Home features a tight building envelope to ensure that the energy generated by the eight kilowatt solar system will be utilized as efficiently as possible to reach net zero energy use. The home is connected to Idaho Power's (IDP) energy system using their Net Metering program, which allows customers to install solar on their property and connect to IDP's electrical grid. The purpose of the program is to enable customers to offset their electricity usage – homes generating more electricity than they use can earn a credit on their utility bill. |
