No, that's not how I'm feeling right now. Au contraire! It's actually the headline in a press release from Appalachian State University about a new home in Hickory that uses ZERO ENERGY.

Completed in Fall 2005, the home has served as both a research facility and as the local office for Habitat for Humanity. Appalachian students regularly conduct research on the home to monitor its energy usage, and systems performance.

The home combines state-of-the-art, energy-efficient construction and appliances with commercially available, renewable energy systems. With its reduced energy needs and solar energy systems, a ZEH can return as much energy as it takes from the utility grid on an annual basis.

This is a very cool thing . . . and it makes you get just how completely insane our nation's so-called strategic energy policy really is. Imagine if the billion dollars a month we're pouring into Iraq had been spent developing this kind of technology!

Another feature of the home is a geothermal heat pump which exchanges the air temperature with the constant underground temperature in order to heat and cool the home. In addition to the state-of-the-art features, the home also has recycled tile, high performance windows and the most energy efficient appliances available. All of these energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies add up to a house that can produce more energy than it uses.