We are creating a venture referred to as ZEFCOT. ZEFCOT stands for Zero Energy, Environmentally Friendly Community Of Today. The goal of ZEFCOT is to prove that an extremely energy efficient housing subdivision can yield greater profits for the developer and builders while providing a very durable, comfortable, energy efficient, well-lit housing for the homeowners.
The ZEFCOT approach requires the subdivision developer to work with the home builders. The subdivision developer will install a community wide, ground-source (a.k.a.: geothermal) HVAC piping as well as a multi-purpose room & pool within the gated community. A typical subdivision that sits on ~460 acres would be subdivide into 1,040 lots. In the southern most areas of the USA, a man-made lake and fountain may be needed to provide additional cooling of the HVAC water. Each ZEFCOT community will require multiple trenches; one for electric and fiber-optic cable, one for fresh water supply, and one for sewage, geothermal supply, and gray water exit. 35.5% of the community area has been set-aside in reserve for open spaces, HVAC cooling lake, inaccessible, or unbuildable areas.
Deed restrictions will limit builders to house designs and construction of the highest efficiency. Each housing unit will possess 5 to 15kw of solar panels. Since many of the best solar manufacturers only sell to utilities, ZEFCOT will form its own utility and purchase the photovoltaic systems in bulk and install in the communities homes with certified installers. Further building restrictions will require the use of our Brick-Block. The Brick-Block is a common concrete block (CMU) to which we have added a patented, multi-color stucco brick façade. The common CMU has also been modified, using our molds, to incorporate a recess in the back-side. The recess greatly reduces the amount of labor and wood needed for the construction frame used among other reasons to hang drywall. The Brick-Block gives the appearance of a brick house while yielding the construction costs of less than vinyl siding. The Brick-Block intellectual property is covered by US Patent #: 6,889,479 entitled: "Building Block" A concrete block with an integrated brick façade.
Greater profits will be realized by the developer since a premium can be charged for the added utilities, environmental appeal, proximity to the downtown area, and open spaces. Greater profits will be realized by the builders via the use of the Brick-Block while charging a premium for the housing construction. Lower utility costs and sturdier construction for the homeowners will easily provide an incentive to purchase these homes rather than homes of the same size and price but of standard construction.
Previous attempts at developing environmentally friendly subdivisions: did not produce nearly as much power, did not include a community-wide geothermal system, did not require as stringent requirements for HVAC energy efficiency and natural lighting, and did not include nearly as many dwellings.