Living proof.

This Tucson, Ariz., house, designed by McLean, Va.-based Devereaux & Associates Architects, is the first built under a nationwide program to create new homes that consume less energy than they produce. The Zero Energy Home initiative aims to spin power meters backward by combining active

renewable energy resources--like solar or wind power--with aggressive energy-efficiency techniques. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the program consists of four teams across the country working to "bring together research in renewable energy and energy efficiency, while making the technology useful to real people and profitable for builders," says Tim Merrigan at NREL. It's a goal homeowners seem likely to embrace: The Tucson house sold within three weeks.

To find out more about the program and its team members, go to www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/zeroenergy.