Zero Homes Year In Review: Big Changes and Bigger Impacts
2024 was a year of incredible growth for Zero Homes. We have taken major strides in our mission to electrify the world’s homes and make sustainable living affordable and accessible for everyone.
While Zero Homes has had many significant accomplishments last year, we want to share our top five as we look forward to an even bigger 2025.
#1: Continued Focus on Underserved Communities
The Zero Homes team is dedicated to ensuring no community gets left behind in our quest for a more sustainable future. Rural and underserved communities often face the greatest barriers to adopting more efficient energy technologies, yet they stand to benefit the most from these upgrades. That’s why helping Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) communities electrify homes to save energy and money is at the heart of our mission.
Zero Homes’ platform improves LMI communities’ access to all-electric upgrades by eliminating the need for multiple in-home contractor visits during working hours. Now, homeowners can quickly and accurately digitize their own home and receive an electrification plan customized and optimized for their property. Additionally, our digital platform identifies and maximizes available rebates and incentives for homeowners, making electrification upgrades more cost-effective than ever. With our help, homeowners can electrify their homes with quality and affordable HVAC installations no matter where they live.
We’ve seen these benefits in action as part of our Green Homes Chicago program, where we’ve partnered with the City of Chicago to electrify hundreds of homes in the city’s LMI communities. At the end of last year, we completed our first installations, improving the comfort, air-quality, and affordability of these homes. With a large pipeline of eager applicants, we’re excited to ramp up this program throughout 2025.
An additional, often unspoken benefit of increasing electrification efforts in LMI communities is that it gives us the opportunity to create more well-paying jobs that can generate millions of extra dollars for local businesses. By focusing on building partnerships with minority- and women-owned businesses, Zero Homes’ is furthering our commitment to creating economic equity in rural and underserved communities.
#2: Digital Design Platform Receives U.S. Department of Energy Assessment Validation
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy validated Zero Homes’ digital design platform by verifying the accuracy of our assessments. To do this, the Department of Energy compared the data from 25 assessments performed by a Home Energy Score Certified assessor both by traditional in-home methods and virtually with our digital platform. After the study, the Home Energy Score office found Zero Homes’ digital platform to meet the data accuracy requirements to be used in production to produce Home Energy Scores.
Not only is this validation the first of its kind for a digital electrification platform, it also reinforces our ability to deliver tailored, efficient HVAC designs and project recommendations for residential homes across the country. With this validation, homeowners, HVAC professionals, and energy partners can rest assured that Zero Homes’ digital platform provides accurate digital assessments and data to streamline the purchase process. This milestone solidifies Zero Homes’ role as a leading, trusted partner to electrify homes.
#3: Continued Advancement and Certification of Platform Capabilities
In addition to the Department of Energy’s validation, Zero Homes’ digital design platform also received Manual J® certification from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) in 2024. Accurate Manual J calculations are critical for ensuring HVAC sizing is appropriate for the home to maximize efficiency, improve cost savings, and increase the longevity of the HVAC system.
Performing Manual J calculations has historically been complex and time-intensive, requiring an on-site, trained technician to complete. Zero Homes’ digital platform makes this process easier, faster, and more affordable by performing Manual J calculations as part of our end-to-end digitization and electrification process. By integrating Manual J calculations into our platform, homeowners can be confident that their HVAC system will meet their needs and maximize their energy savings.
Zero Homes’ Manual J certification also completes our full suite of validation and certification — a distinction no other software platform has — allowing us to provide accurate digital assessments, savings projections, and system designs to all our partners and customers.
#4: New and Impactful Partnerships Making Electrification Accessible
Over the last year, Zero Homes has continued to expand our reach through impactful partnerships with utilities and municipalities across the U.S.
For example, Tri-State Generation & Transmission in Colorado is using our digital platform to operate the Electrify & Save program to support 40+ homeowners per month across the state's most rural areas. Through our partnership, Tri-State and Zero Homes have helped families reduce their energy costs and carbon footprints while improving home comfort. We are excited to grow our partnership further in 2025 and expand Zero Homes’ service to Tri-State cooperatives in New Mexico, Wyoming, and South Dakota.
Through the Green Homes Chicago program, we have partnered closely with the City of Chicago to deliver whole-home electrification upgrades to low-income households. This initiative highlights the transformative impact of public-private collaboration on LMI communities in urban areas, and we look forward to making electrification easy and accessible for even more Chicagoans in the years to come.
These partnerships are just the beginning. With plans to onboard additional utility and municipal collaborators in 2025, we’re positioned to make sustainable living a reality for millions of households.
#5: Expanding Our Team…And Our Impact
To meet growing demand, we’ve expanded our team to 14 full-time employees and several consultants, and we are hiring across all functions: engineering, product, customer and field operations, and business development. Not only are we thrilled about the expertise and fresh perspectives our new team members bring, but this growth also boosts our ability to support current and new partnerships.
Our dedicated team continues to refine and optimize Zero Homes' digital platform to deliver frictionless and affordable experience to homeowners nationwide. With every new hire, we’re building the foundation for accelerated growth and innovation in 2025 and beyond.
Looking Forward to 2025
In 2025, we’re ready to push forward and have set ambitious targets to accelerate growth, reach more communities, and make electrification easier for everyone. Together, we’re not just envisioning a cleaner, more sustainable future — we’re making it a reality.
