EP284 What I Learned Building My Own Net-Zero Home With Bill Spohn (August 2026)

Quotes from the episode:  "Net zero wasn't the goal—it was the outcome of making hundreds of good building science decisions."     "One tiny installation mistake destroyed an entire refrigerant system. Details matter."     "The biggest lesson isn't that net zero works. It's that building science works."    Bill Spohn turns the microphone on himself for a candid look at what he learned by designing, building, and living in his own all-electric, net-zero home. Rather than advocating for Passive House, electrification, or solar as ends in themselves, Bill explains how those decisions emerged from a much simpler goal: creating a comfortable, healthy, quiet home that would serve his family well for decades.     Drawing on years of experience in HVAC instrumentation and building science, Bill shares the real-world successes, surprises, and setbacks that came with the project. He discusses why modular construction became the right fit, how careful modeling justified a surprisingly small two-ton cold-climate heat pump for a 4,000-square-foot conditioned home, and why airtightness, continuous insulation, and thoughtful solar orientation mattered more than oversized equipment.     The episode also explores the challenges that <span class= "NormalTe