NZE House / Paul Lukez Architecture

The Jenson-DeLeeuw Net-Zero Energy House is a 2,000-square-foot home located on a bucolic two-acre site in Harvard, Massachusetts. This comfortable home is fully powered by the sun with energy to spare for the owners’ electric car; kudos to a photovoltaic solar energy system by LG and two Sonnen batteries that manage energy intermittency. This house is integrated into its natural setting and carefully located on the site’s highest elevation to capture as much sun as possible. Passive design principles keep the house temperate year-round: deep overhangs shield interiors from overexposure and overheating, while open floor plans and high ceilings allow natural ventilation and airflow throughout. The house is owned by two J.R.R. Tolkien fans who named their new home “Rivendell” after the Elvan village in Tolkien’s Middle Earth.