Maine Affordable Net Zero Home Developer Partners on Prefab Housing Project

Zero Energy Homes, a Maine startup focused on affordable net zero housing, has teamed up with design-build firm Knickerbocker Group on its third project, a modular single-family home in Trenton, Mainebiz reported (12-28-25).

The modular units were set on their foundation this week. The project marks Zero Energy Homes’ first fully modular build, with units prefabricated at Knickerbocker Group’s Wiscasset facility.

Zero Energy Homes was founded by Caroline Pryor and is based in Mount Desert, in Hancock County. The company completed its first project earlier this year in Searsport, using a similar design aimed at buyers earning up to 80% of the area’s median income.

The Trenton home uses the same 896-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bath design—known as the Osprey—as the Searsport project. Energy-efficient features include thick insulated walls, triple-glazed windows, heat pumps, energy recovery ventilation, and a rooftop solar array.

Zero Energy also partnered with Maker Construction of Hebron to build wall, floor, and roof panels. The modular approach reduced construction time to about four months, compared with 10–14 months for a conventional stick-built home, according to the project team.