Rising mortgage rates and high prices are putting housing out of reach for many low- and moderate-income residents.
According to the Delaware Association of Realtors, the median home sale in Delaware is $350,000. With interest rates set to rise an average of 6.62% this week, the monthly payment on a 30-year mortgage would be around $2,240, according to Mortgage News Daily.
But several companies and agencies are joining forces to find a possible solution: the highly energy-efficient modular house.
These solar-powered homes can eliminate your monthly electricity, heating and air conditioning bills, offering a monthly mortgage that's a quarter of what the average home pays.
Energize Delaware to Beracah Homes, Milford Housing Development Corp. and Vermont Energy Investment Corp. In the ZeMod Delaware program, which offers lower-cost solar homes and help to buy them.
Energize Delaware is a sustainable energy nonprofit that provides low-interest grants and loans to residents to install solar or improve energy efficiency.
ZeMod Zero Module Power and software services include:
- Tips for home buyers preparing a mortgage
- down payment assistance for eligible buyers
- Energy efficiency and renewable energy incentives up to $16,500 per home
- help find cheap construction sites
ZeMod houses have higher than usual wall, ceiling and floor insulation; an all-electric heating and cooling system with high efficiency heat pump technology; well-insulated and draft-free windows and doors; and high-performance appliances and lighting, said Roger Collison, CEO of Greenwood-based modular home builder Beracah Homes.
For example, a 28-by-43-foot, 1,204-square-foot home might have two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, dining room, and kitchen.
According to Energize Delaware, the appraised value of the home is $230,000, including appliances, heating and cooling systems, but not the cost of the land, well and septic tank. The cost of building materials is volatile and difficult to predict, according to the nonprofit organization.
To reduce these costs, subsidies and incentives for solar panels and energy-efficient homes, including an affordable interest-free payment that is only paid back when the home is sold, help reduce these costs.
The estimated monthly mortgage payment, after all benefits and utilities, will be approximately $650 plus $30 for utilities.
Homes have a "net zero" energy cost because they can order electricity from the electricity supplier when the sun is out, but sometimes the solar panels generate excess electricity that they sell to the electricity supplier. , the system would require zero net energy costs, except for a monthly fee of $30 to connect to the electricity grid.
more sun Delaware County is taking steps to protect farmland from solar mega-farms
qualification requirements
The income limit for joining the ZeMod program is 120% of the regional median income. The median income is $87,400 in Newcastle, $70,400 in Kent and $68,700 in Sussex.
Contact Milford Housing Development Corp. to find out how to qualify. Email
Founded in 1977, the corporation is a nonprofit housing developer in Delaware that provides temporary housing, rental housing, new construction and home renovation services.
"We are proud to be a partner in this important housing solution that provides people with a quality housing option at lower energy costs," said David Moore, President and CEO of Milford Housing Development Corp.
For more information about ZeMod homes, call Energize Delaware at 302-883-3048 or visit www.ZeModDelaware.com.
Learn more about affordable housing solutions. Wilmington Affordable Housing Plan
National Design Award
ZeMod houses have recently received two awards from the Department of Energy.
In August, ZeMod received the Zero Energy Ready Home award for innovative developments for zero energy homes. Only two awards were given in the category of subsidized apartments in the Republic. Another recipient was Habitat for Humanity in North Central Connecticut.
Later on September 20, at the Energy and Environmental Alliance's High Efficiency Home Summit in Arizona, the Department of Energy awarded ZeMod and Beracah Homes top honors in the affordable housing category at the 2022 Home Innovation Awards. this is the highest award builders can receive for building zero energy homes.
Tony DePrima, executive director of Energize Delaware, said the ZeMod program is "designed to create an energy-efficient home for low- and moderate-income families. No big utility bills."
From Vermont to Delaware
The idea for ZeMod was created by Vermont Energy Investment Corp., which is working on a similar project in Vermont that aims to provide an alternative to traditional solar-powered mobile homes and a low-cost, energy-efficient option. . , Energy. Vermont Energy and Milford Housing Development Corp contacted Energize Delaware, asking Beraka to build a home. - about organizing the financial problems of apartment buyers;
"With the ZeMod home, people can create value by saving on energy costs," said Collison, CEO of Beracah Homes. “Although the upfront costs are slightly higher than a mobile home, Energize Delaware offers incentives for solar and energy efficiency. Factoring in utility costs over time, land rent and the value of the home in 20 or 30 years, the average annual cost to the homeowner will be significantly lower."
Journalist Ben Mace writes about real estate, housing and development. Contact him at rmace@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared in the Delaware News Journal. How this solar-powered modular home could help solve Delaware's affordable housing crisis.
