Frank Wyatt, president of Pinnacle Homes, explains the technology used in the zero energy home, which his company constructed as part of a research project that UNLV students and faculty will monitor. Behind him are the tankless water heater, left, and the photo voltaic electrical system, right, which UNLV will track to compare energy efficiency with conventional systems in a home next door. Photos by Craig L. Moran. The roof-integrated solar panels, up top, and the solar water heater, located on the lower half of the roof, help make the zero energy house efficient. A Freus air unit is used at the zero energy solar powered test home at 7395 Howell Mill Court on Monday.

Whoever buys the house at 7387 Howell Mill Court will have a tough time keeping up with the Joneses.

Like a jealous twin, it sits next to a replica dwelling that probably will receive far more attention.

The neighboring house is a zero energy home, meaning that it should, over the course of one year, produce as much energy as it consumes. Ideally, it will tally up an annual energy bill of zero dollars.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas Center for Energy Research will monitor the two homes, which Pinnacle Homes constructed near Tenaya Way and Windmill Avenue as part of a 146-home community called The Vinings in southwest Las Vegas.

"There are two houses together that started life on the architect's drawing board as exactly the same house. One of them has been modified to be the better performance house, hopefully," said Bob Boehm, the UNLV center's director. "They'll both be on the tour of model homes."

The study will last 18 months before they go on the market.

The houses will be heated in the winter and air conditioned during the summer.

The zero energy home is equipped with a photo voltaic electric system that receives energy from roof-integrated solar panels.

The system is connected to the Nevada Power grid, which will provide the home with energy when it's not producing enough.

"If it generates more energy than what you need it turns the meter backward so you basically sell power to Nevada Power for the same cost they sell it to you," Boehm said. "When it's hot and sunny outside, that's when Nevada Power has the biggest drain on their grid and that's the time you're helping out with it the most."

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Hurricane Katrina, a blistering hot summer and tight world oil markets set the stage for escalating energy costs this winter. The department estimated electricity expenditures up 11 percent compared to winter 2004. Currently, the average household pays about $127 a month to Nevada Power Co.

Residential buildings use more than 20 percent of the energy consumed in the United States annually, and Boehm said he believes the project to be a milestone in the effort to reduce consumption.

But what it saves in energy, the house lacks in cost-savings.

"We didn't get the greatest deal on some of this stuff," said Frank Wyatt, Pinnacle Homes president. The conventionally constructed model is on the market for $341,990, but he declined to say how much the zero energy home would sell for or cost to build.

It was as part of a study, a "one-time deal," he said "It's unfair to compare."

But in five years, Boehm said, there should be a price decrease in the solar panels.

"When that happens, you're going to find the payback period is going to be fairly short on a house like that. Right now I don't think there is a payback period on this particular house," he said.

The home also has a water-cooled air-conditioning condenser that uses evaporating water, similar to a swamp cooler.

"The efficiency, depending a little bit on particular conditions, might be nearly twice as high," Boehm said. "That means your bill will be nearly one half."

The windows, lighting, air ducts and walls -- thick concrete slabs that sandwich foam -- are specially tailored for energy efficiency.

A tankless water heater in the garage is hooked up to a solar water heater on the roof. The system, Wyatt said, can provide limitless hot water.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which provided technical support for the project, will review the results. Boehm said he was aware of one other zero energy home in the southwest part of the Valley, constructed by Pardee Homes in 2004. A spokeswoman declined to say the selling price.

In California, where zero energy homes enjoy larger state subsidies, they have become more popular.

David Springer, president of Davis Energy Group, a California mechanical engineering firm, said making a zero energy home typically adds about $20,000 to the price.

He's worked with several California developers, including Centex Homes and Clarum Homes, to design such dwellings and recently installed a photo voltaic system on his own house for $5,500 with the state rebate included. With installation, he estimated the system runs about $12,000.

"It's a drop in the bucket compared to the million dollar homes we're seeing on the market," Springer said.