Rainer and Karen Gerbatsch were living on the east coast when they began looking for housing opportunities in the Denver area. They wanted to be closer to their daughter, who lives in Montana. Karen stumbled upon the Geos Neighborhood, a net-zero community in Arvada. Rainer and Karen purchased a Geos home in 2019, and they moved from New Jersey to Colorado with their five cats in an RV.
Rainer, who is originally from Germany, has a background in building construction. He understands the importance of an air-tight, well insulated building. Based on his experience, he believes it is critical for homeowners to take charge and to move away from fossil fuels.
Rainer said that most people think it’s too expensive to get off of gas. “It takes work and commitment, but a level of awareness of renewable energy gives a homeowner the power to determine how a home can and should be built, so that clean energy becomes the new standard.”
Benefits
For the Gerbatsch’s, the price of $565,000 was worth it for the clean energy standards that the homes were built around. Rainer and Karen both believe that as a society, we need to change the way we think about energy. “Building a new, net-zero home means paying some upfront costs without the premium utility expenses. And it gives homeowners the power to influence building standards and create a better model for clean, energy efficient living,” Rainer said.
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Love Electric aims to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and other efficient electric technologies in homes and businesses across Colorado, to lower consumer energy costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide improved health, comfort and other benefits. Love Electric is an initiative of the Beneficial Electrification League of Colorado (BEL-CO).