A House That Costs Nothing to Run
Meet the Moomaws. Their goal is to build a retirement home in New England that will produce as much electricity as it consumes

Ask the average person to describe their dream retirement home, and what will you hear? Visions of high ceilings, gourmet kitchens, an expansive yard, maybe even a Jacuzzi. Bill and Margot Moomaw, a couple from Massachusetts, have a totally different kind of dream: They want a retirement home so efficient that it actually produces as much electricity as it consumes.

The Moomaw's Model Home
Every detail of their retirement house has been carefully planned to save energy -- right down to the choice of computers and light bulbs

Though Bill and Margot Moomaw have yet to break ground on their new house, they've already laid detailed plans for what will go into it -- right down to the light bulbs. That's because this is no ordinary retirement home. The Moomaws are designing the house to consume zero net energy over the course of a typical year. What energy they take from the power grid in the winter, they plan to pay back to the utility with the solar-generated power they will create during the summer.

As a result, they're carefully planning each detail of the house -- from insulation to the appliances and even their home computer. Here's a look at the products and techniques they've chosen to avoid using too much juice.