Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What I Got Wrong Building My Net Zero Home. Go to surfshark.com/undecided or use code UNDECIDED at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! I have some regrets. A few years ago, I set out to build my dream net zero energy home. I've been living here for a little over two years now, and so far, I’ve been more than satisfied. I have enough solar and battery storage to balance out all of my annual energy use. A highly efficient geothermal heating and cooling system supplies me with hot water for almost no money. And this is the most comfortable and energy efficient home I've ever lived in. Overall, I absolutely love this house. But even the best laid plans have issues, and mine were no different. If you want to avoid expensive mistakes, learn what actually works in a net zero home, or just see what tech lived up to the hype, there might be some lessons you can learn from the choices I made … and the ones that I didn't make.
Watch Did I Get the Wrong Heat Pump: Geothermal vs Air Source youtu.be/CPwQTUaU-jI?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi7FwYRnWkpCSkAeFOzrgh5h
Video script and citations:
https://undecided.tech/what-i-got-wrong-building-my-net-zero-home/
Get my achieve energy security with solar guide:
undecided.link/solar-guide
Lutron Smart Serna Shades:
serenashadescom.sjv.io/c/7219674/3184838/39780
Follow-up podcast:
Video version - youtube.com/channel/UC4-aWB84Bupf5hxGqrwYqLA
Audio version - undecided.link/stilltbd-podcast
Join the Undecided Discord server:
undecided.link/discord
👋 Support Undecided on Patreon!
undecided.link/patreon
Visit my Energysage Portal (US):
Research solar panels, heat pumps, and more to get quotes for free!
undecided.link/energysage
For a curated solar buying experience (Canada)
EnergyPal's free personalized quotes:
undecided.link/energypal
👉 Follow Me
Mastodon
https://mastodon.social/@mattferrell
Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/mattferrell.bsky.social
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instagram.com/undecidedtech
Website
https://undecided.tech
Some music provided by Epidemic Sound
undecided.link/epidemic
I may earn a small commission for my endorsement or recommendation to products or services linked above, but I wouldn't put them here if I didn't like them. Your purchase helps support the channel and the videos I produce. Thank you.
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
01:02 - The Hot Water Situation
03:25 - The Infrastructure I Skipped
06:27 - The ERV Problem
08:40 - Smart Panels
10:19 - The Thermal Envelope Decision
11:46 - Solar Expansion
14:24 - Future-Proofing: Conduit Everywhere
What I Got Wrong Building My Net Zero Home. Go to surfshark.com/undecided or use code UNDECIDED at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! I have some regrets. A few years ago, I set out to build my dream net zero energy home. I've been living here for a little over two years now, and so far, I’ve been more than satisfied. I have enough solar and battery storage to balance out all of my annual energy use. A highly efficient geothermal heating and cooling system supplies me with hot water for almost no money. And this is the most comfortable and energy efficient home I've ever lived in. Overall, I absolutely love this house. But even the best laid plans have issues, and mine were no different. If you want to avoid expensive mistakes, learn what actually works in a net zero home, or just see what tech lived up to the hype, there might be some lessons you can learn from the choices I made … and the ones that I didn't make.
Watch Did I Get the Wrong Heat Pump: Geothermal vs Air Source youtu.be/CPwQTUaU-jI?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi7FwYRnWkpCSkAeFOzrgh5h
Video script and citations:
https://undecided.tech/what-i-got-wrong-building-my-net-zero-home/
Get my achieve energy security with solar guide:
undecided.link/solar-guide
Lutron Smart Serna Shades:
serenashadescom.sjv.io/c/7219674/3184838/39780
Follow-up podcast:
Video version - youtube.com/channel/UC4-aWB84Bupf5hxGqrwYqLA
Audio version - undecided.link/stilltbd-podcast
Join the Undecided Discord server:
undecided.link/discord
👋 Support Undecided on Patreon!
undecided.link/patreon
Visit my Energysage Portal (US):
Research solar panels, heat pumps, and more to get quotes for free!
undecided.link/energysage
For a curated solar buying experience (Canada)
EnergyPal's free personalized quotes:
undecided.link/energypal
👉 Follow Me
Mastodon
https://mastodon.social/@mattferrell
Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/mattferrell.bsky.social
X
https://x.com/undecidedtech
instagram.com/undecidedtech
Website
https://undecided.tech
Some music provided by Epidemic Sound
undecided.link/epidemic
I may earn a small commission for my endorsement or recommendation to products or services linked above, but I wouldn't put them here if I didn't like them. Your purchase helps support the channel and the videos I produce. Thank you.
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
01:02 - The Hot Water Situation
03:25 - The Infrastructure I Skipped
06:27 - The ERV Problem
08:40 - Smart Panels
10:19 - The Thermal Envelope Decision
11:46 - Solar Expansion
14:24 - Future-Proofing: Conduit Everywhere
