Maryland residents now have more opportunities to adopt energy-efficient lifestyles following the completion of a new eco-friendly home by Los Angeles-based homebuilder K.B. Home. The company recently announced that its first ZeroHouse 2.0, a prototype for the home of the future, has been built in Middletown Woods.

The home is designed to save its inhabitants more than $6,000 dollars annually on utility costs by producing as much energy as the building consumes.

Power for the ZeroHouse 2.0 comes from renewable energy sources, including solar panels. To reduce the consumption of electricity, the home will utilize new energy-efficient fixtures and appliances. The home also employs innovative plumbing technology that will save up to 50,000 gallons of water a year annually.

Students from North American Trade Schools, a provider of career and job training in Maryland, will be visiting the home this week to learn about the new techniques and technology the company employs in constructing energy-efficient homes.

Other important guests will be in attendance, as officials from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency will give a presentation to the students encouraging energy efficiency.

Though this is the first construction in the Washington, D.C. area, the homebuilder believes that with increased demand for energy-efficient homes over the past decade, the construction of future ZeroHouse 2.0 homes will be inevitable.

Many new initiatives have been enforced of late to make energy efficiency a way of life for Maryland residents, including recently reported efforts from Baltimore nonprofit Civic Works to help overhaul low-income housing to consume less energy.

For homeowners who aren't in the position to purchase a new home, there are affordable ways to make their current house more energy efficient to cut down on bills. An energy audit from a home inspection contractor can gauge where waste is taking place in a customer's home and determine what solutions can be implemented.