在这个博客中上个星期I described some of the unique features ofSerenbe.是亚特兰大以外的新城市主义社区，我有幸免于Bosch Experience Centeras a speaker. I spent the better part of a day exploring the community.

This week I’ll describe some of the energy features at the 1,000-acre development.

土争​​霸认证

Serenbe是An土争​​霸community, meaning that 100% of homes and commercial buildings must be built to EarthCraft standards. EarthCraft is one of the nation’s most successful regional green building programs. Developed bySouthfacein Atlanta, EarthCraft now boasts over 40,000 certified homes and a new commercial-building certification program.

土争​​霸能源标准并不靠近那些Passivhausstandard, but they are reasonably good and have done a great deal to improve the energy performance of home building in the Southeast. The program requires blower-door testing and has served to introduce this and other elements of high-performance building to the mainstream building industry.

While EarthCraft compliance is the baseline for Serenbe, many homes go beyond that. Just completed a few weeks before my visit is the骄傲的绿色家园，一个具有众多合作伙伴的项目，包括Southface，已被认证到土争夺铂金标准，这些标准比简单的IraftCraft认证更严格。

净零能量家庭

Some homes at Serenbe are going well beyond even Earthcraft Platinum requirements. There are several net-zero-energy homes already built among the 140 completed homes and townhouses. “Net-zero-energy” means that solar-electric modules on a house provide all of the energy that home requires. Most of these all-electric homes rely on ground-source or water-source heat pumps (referred to by many, including Serenbe residents, as “geothermal” heating systems).

I’m usually not a huge fan of ground-source heat pumps. I’d rather put the money that would be spent on coils of tubing into the building envelope to reduce heating and cooling loads, then satisfy the remaining demand with much less expensive minisplit air-source heat pumps.

STEVE NYGREN，SERENBE背后的开发人员和有远见的人指出了几个地区，即将建造净零能量家庭的群集，以及一些净零能源商业建筑。

Walking around the development, one sees quite a few houses with solar-electric modules on their roofs, so even if net-zero-energy performance isn’t being obtained, such homes are at least relying on renewable energy for some of their energy demand.

Leaving the car at home

Lots of features at Serenbe are designed to encourage alternatives to the automobile. Through wide sidewalks, traffic-calming features that improve pedestrian safety, and extensive pathways in the community, Serenbe is designed to be a pedestrian-friendly community that works well for walking and bicycling. These measures will be more successful at reducing car use, however, once there are more services and commercial space available in the Serenbe town centers.

对于自雇居民，我被告知Serenbe也是一个居住的好地方 - 它吸引了相当多的这样个人。

Chattahoochee Hills，最近成立的市政包括Serenbe，也在开发一个区域网络，将使更多距离自行车运输更加现实 - 周边城镇和社区。

The reality, however, is that for many residents, Serenbe is a bedroom community for Atlanta. For residents who work in the city, commuting by car is still the only option. That could change, though. Chatahoochee Hills has maintained a right-of-way for future transit along the South Fulton Parkway, Nygren told me.

Serenbe也是佐治亚州Palmetto的四分之一半英里，有计划将现有的铁路线用于乘客铁路服务进入亚特兰大。如果铁路服务开发了连接Serenbe和其他地区城镇的亚特兰大，则可以帮助大大减少社区中居民的能源使用和碳足迹。

Nygren, the ultimate cheerleader for Serenbe (and a resident of the town), is optimistic about that happening.

Alex is founder ofBuildingGreen, Inc。和执行编辑环境建设新闻。In 2012 he founded theResilient Design Institute。为了跟上亚历克斯的最新文章和博衰，你可以sign up for his Twitter feed。