The Net Zero Energy House (NZEH) presented in this paper is an energy efficient house that uses available solar technologies to generate at least as much primary energy as the house uses over the course of the year. The computer simulation results show that it is technically feasible to reach the goal of NZEH in the cold climate of Montreal. In terms of the life cycle energy use, which considers the operating and embodied energy of the house, the energy payback time is 8.4-8.7 years, when the NZEH is compared with an average house that complies with the provincial code. The energy payback ratio of the combisystem is 3.5-3.8 compared with the heating system of conventional house. By converting solar energy, the combisystem supplies at least 3.5 times more energy than the energy invested for manufacturing and shipping the system. The life cycle cost analysis of the NZEH shows, however, that due to the high cost of the solar technologies and the low cost of electricity in Montreal, financial payback is never achieved. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.