Home HeadQuarters transforms former abandoned parking lot into next generation energy efficient homes on Syracuse’s Westside

The home on Otisco Street represents the first complete of seven new, eight total, single-family, all-electric, net zero homes slated for the neighborhood

First-time, income-eligible homeowner Ivonne Fernandez to move into net zero home

 SYRACUSE, NY— Nonprofit housing and community development organization Home HeadQuarters is welcoming a first-time, income-eligible homeowner to the first newly constructed, single-family, net zero home on Syracuse’s Westside as part of the Resilient Corners project. The home, which is also a part of Syracuse Mayor Walsh’s Resurgent Neighborhoods Initiative, is part of an overall effort to transform underutilized and vacant properties into modern, livable homes showcasing best practices in smart growth design, innovations in energy efficiency and building methods and investment in quality housing for underserved city of Syracuse residents.

The 1700 +/- square foot, three-bedroom home was recently certified PHIUS Zero, a designation signifying, through rigorous testing, that the home is a high performing passive building that is carbon neutral. The home produces the same amount of energy that it uses. The house is all electric, including a heat pump, is EPA Energy Star Certified and will feature on-site solar panels so no energy will be drawn from local power plants. The new homeowner, as part of her purchase requirements, will allow yearly monitoring for energy efficiency for a period of five years.

The building project on Otisco Street joins at least a hundred other energy and home improvement-related Home HeadQuarters building efforts on Syracuse’s Near Westside, the nation’s first designated LEED-ND neighborhood.

This project was supported, in part, by the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) and helps meet New York State’s climate and clean energy goals under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The project was also made possible through support from the City of Syracuse and New York State Homes & Community Renewal (NYSHCR).