Annapolis-based Nexus EnergyHomes raised the first $200,000 of a $1.5 million dollar series A round, a new SEC filing revealed. The company designs, sells and builds pre-fab homes that are “net zero,” or zero energy homes (ZEHs).
According to the U.S. Department of Energy ZEHs are “connected to the utility grid but can be designed and constructed to produce as much energy as they consume [or more] annually.”
Nexus EnergyHomes also makes and sells green building materials, and offers software to optimize the installation of, and manage the use of equipment in a net zero energy home — like air conditioners, filters, lights, meters, geothermal wells and solar power generating systems. The company’s software, under the brand name Energyze, also helps home builders attain rebates and incentives to build a ZEH.
Representatives were not available immediately after the filing was made public to answer questions about the company’s investors, or how the firm plans to use its new-found capital.
Because Nexus Energy Homes focuses on building in and around Maryland, they are guarded, at least for the time being, against competition from established zero net energy home designers, like Ecofutures in Colorado or Vert Design in Ottawa.
A regional specialization will not, however, protect the business from competition on software and systems that it sells. Giant technology providers to venture-backed startups are angling for a piece of the green homes market, including GE and Fuji Electric, and OPOWER and Tendril which both specialize in home-based, energy management technology.