Chapel Hill Modernist Home Achieves Verified HERS Score of -29 in North Carolina's 100% Net-Zer

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - EntSun -- A new luxury residence in Chapel Hill is redefining what sustainable living can look like in North Carolina.

Located at 4637 Array Drive in the Array Sustainable Living community, the custom modernist home has achieved a verified HERS Index score of -29, confirming that the home is designed to produce more energy than it consumes. The HERS score was verified through a residential new home energy rating certificate completed by Southern Energy Management, with RESNET oversight, for the home at 4637 Array Drive in Chapel Hill.

The result places the property among a rare class of high-performance homes that combine luxury design, long-term livability, and measurable energy performance.

The home also delivers measurable carbon reduction benefits. According to energy performance, 4637 Array Drive has a carbon index of -32 and is projected to reduce emissions by approximately 15.5 metric tons of CO₂e annually, effectively the same as removing three to four gas-powered cars from the road for a year.

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"4637 Array Drive shows that sustainable housing does not have to mean compromise," said Jodi Bakst, developer of the community and Realtor. "This home brings together architectural design, comfort, resilience, and energy performance in a way that speaks to where luxury real estate is headed. A negative HERS score is not just a number. It is proof that a home can be beautiful, functional, and built for the future."

The one-level home offers 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2,853 square feet, and sits on a 1.52-acre wooded lot. Designed for privacy and long-term livability, the home includes zero-entry access from the garage, zero-entry showers in both full bathrooms, and a split-wing floor plan that separates the owner's suite from the guest and family wing.

The home's verified performance is supported by a 36-panel solar array, two FranklinWH batteries providing 30kWh of storage capacity, an ERV fresh-air ventilation system, a tightly wrapped building envelope, a white TPO cool roof, high-performance insulation, triple-glazed low-E windows and doors, tilt-turn operable windows, and passive design strategies intended to reduce heat gain while maximizing natural light.

Designed by Arielle Schechter, an award-winning modern net-zero energy architect recognized by Forbes in its 2025 list of "200 Best Residential Architects in the U.S.," and built by NewPhire Building Company, a high-performance custom home builder, the residence brings together modernist architecture and measurable energy performance.

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Inside, the home pairs clean modernist lines with warm, tactile finishes, including white oak hardwood floors, natural oak accents, solid-core doors, Calacatta Capri quartz, and a chef's kitchen with Sub-Zero refrigeration and Bosch Benchmark appliances. Wellness and long-term livability carry through the bathrooms, which include Hansgrohe fixtures, Toto toilets, towel warmers, zero-entry showers, and a primary shower with bench seating.

The home is located within Array, a 12-home net-zero community where more than half of the neighborhood is preserved as open space and conservation easement. Array includes a wooded canopy, stocked pond with two docks, a neighborhood gathering place, community garden, street lights, and 2.5 miles of walking trails. Array Drive remains a gravel road because the community was developed in accordance with Orange County's Low Impact Development standards.

"This is a home for someone who wants architecture, privacy, comfort, and sustainability working together," said Bakst. "It is a Chapel Hill property, but the story is much bigger than one listing. It is about what is possible when homebuilding, design, and energy performance are treated as one complete vision."

Schedule a preview of the home here.