A zero-energy home is  building with zero net energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the home on an annual basis is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site or in other definitions by renewable energy sources elsewhere. These homes consequently contribute less overall greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. They do at times consume non-renewable energy and produce greenhouse gases, but at other times reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas production elsewhere by the same amount.

Most zero net energy homes get half or more of their energy from the grid, and return the same amount at other times. Homes that produce a surplus of energy over the year may be called "energy-plus homes" and homes that consume slightly more energy than they produce are called "near-zero energy homes" or "ultra-low energy houses".

Most zero-energy homes use the electrical grid for energy storage but some are independent of the grid. Energy is usually harvested on-site through energy producing technologies like solar and wind, while reducing the overall use of energy with highly efficient HVAC and lighting technologies. The zero-energy goal is becoming more practical as the costs of alternative energy technologies decrease and the costs of traditional fossil fuels increase.

The development of modern zero-energy homes became possible not only through the progress made in new energy and construction technologies and techniques, but it has also been significantly improved by academic research, which collects precise energy performance data on traditional and experimental buildings and provides performance parameters for advanced computer models to predict the efficacy of engineering designs.

Zero-energy homes can be part of a smart grid. Some advantages of these homes are as follows:

    Integration of renewable energy resources
    Integration of plug-in electric vehicles
    Implementation of zero-energy concepts

Concepts or components of zero energy homes