If there is one thing that major homebuilders are now aiming for in Japan, it is to achieve more zeroes, that is, the sale of more net-zero energy houses. Nikkei Asian Review describes such homes as those "who's efficient designs and solar panels mean they have a net energy consumption of zero. In some cases, they may even be net energy producers."
Misawa Homes, for one, intends to build these zero energy houses on a bigger scale by the year 2017. The company has already introduced in the market homes that come "with high-performance fiberglass insulation and solar panels as standard features in relatively inexpensive houses targeting people in their 30s." For 2014 alone, Misawa Homes sold 66 of these zero energy houses and such accounts 1 percent of the total new home orders. Due to the increasing demand, the company decided to focus on selling energy efficient houses.
PanaHome, the Panasonic unit claims it costs about 70,000 yen or $580 a year to power and heat a zero-energy house.
The ten major homebuilders of Japan sold 10,000 to 20,000 zero- energy homes in the fiscal's year 2014 alone. The sale for these zero-energy homes is expected to reach 50,000 units by the fiscal year 2020.
For its benefit, a standard zero-energy house can help conserve up to 1,200 liters of crude oil every year. The money which a home owner generates by selling electricity back to the grid from the built- in solar panels can reach to as much as 130,000 yen and this will give that owner a net gain amounting to 60,000 yen.
Still, there are other leading homebuilders joining this energy efficiency campaign. Another firm, Sekisui Chemical, which sells Sekisui Heim brand houses, wishes to raise their share by 50 percent by the fiscal year 2020.
The WSJ reports that Japan's decision to gear for zero -energy structures is supported by the administration of Prime Minister Shinto Abe in its bid to replace the energy from nuclear power plants which used to provide electricity for about one third of the country, but had to be stopped after the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011.
"Zero-energy buildings could be one of the key pillars for our growth strategy," commented Kimihiro Hashimoto, Director General of the Land Ministry's Housing Bureau. He also added that Japanese contractors could use their technology to win business overseas.
