Photovoltaic Systems

Archive for the ‘LEED’ Category

Sunverge has released a new Solar Integration System (SIS) package containing an inverter and battery storage unit to complement the standard residential solar PV array.  Brought to the market in February 2011, this new offering will give homeowners the opportunity to attain reliable net-zero energy status and eliminate reliance on the grid.

For less than the price of a typical 5 kW residential system, a homeowner can now opt for a $20,000 – $28,000 system designed with a 2 kW system, inverter, and lithium-ion battery package to eliminate grid demand.  The inverter/battery unit itself is only 24” by 14” deep and 73” high integrating easily into an appropriate space.

The system produces enough power to run a modest home off-grid and bring dependable off peak energy from renewables at an affordable price.  Through Sunverge’s Solar Plus Lease program, a homeowner can even have the SIS system installed with no money down and make the payments through the savings realized from your diminishing electric bill.

“In powering a typical residence, a traditional PV system saves 30 to 50 percent in annual energy costs. A Sunverge SIS meets the same demand at annual savings of 50 to 70 percent,” according to Ken Munson, President of Sunverge Energy.

SIS has a built-in energy management system to utilize stored energy when in highest demand, allowing for electrical loads to be shifted and peak demand lowered, therefore maximizing returns.  The system also integrates into smart-grid technology and communicates with a programmable thermostat, pool pump, and other appliances allowing for real time verification and peak shaving.

SIS is being tested in a pilot project for 34 townhomes in Sacramento in a zero energy community, 2500 R Street, by Pacific Housing.  Priced around $315,000 per home, 2500 R Street will demonstrate the possibility and affordability of zero energy homes.  The townhomes will also be certified LEED Platinum.

[+] More info about Sunverge SIS System.

Credits: Sunverge. 

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This is a project called Sustainable Stuart – the name comes from its location on Stuart Street – by Imagine Infill in Denver, Colorado.  It features two, attached, single-family homes, and we have pictures of one of the homes, 3288 Stuart.  3288 Stuart received LEED Gold, EPA Indoor AirPlus, and Energy Star certifications.

Jonathan Alpert, founder of Imagine Infill, shared his project with us this week.  With his new company, Alpert’s trying to build “urban, energy efficient and highly stylized homes for cultural creatives and city dwellers.”

3288 Stuart delivers energy efficiency with a super-insulated envelope, Energy Star windows and appliances, high performance lighting, window placement optimized for cross-ventilation, and a high-efficiency furnace and water heater.

The home also has on-site solar, water-efficient fixtures, drought-tolerant landscaping, low-VOC paints and finishes, and recycled content products.

Sustainable Stuart includes about 5,600 square feet total (2,873 sf in one unit and 2,765 sf in the other).  It was designed by Sexton Lawton with an open layout, modern style, and abundant daylight.  Carter Customs contracted on the project; the construction costs came in at about $160 per square foot.

I first learned about Sustainable Stuart through our new green home submission form.  If you have a great home project or renovation, feel free to submit it to the editors for potential publication.

Credits: Imagine Infill.

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Once again, there is discussion in the U.S. Green Building Council (“USGBC”) to allow other wood certifying organizations to have a place within the LEED guidelines for green construction. The new Pilot Credit 43 [PDF] for certified products would allow several wood certifications — e.g., Forest Stewardship Council, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, American Tree Farm — to contribute to a point under the trial credit.

For several years now, the issue of wood certification within LEED has been contentious. A move to recognize other certification standards went through rounds of comments and revisions before it was ultimately defeated, but the conflict has continued.

The new pilot credit would recognize non-FSC wood rating systems for having some benefit, even if the pilot credit does not give them the full standing that FSC has within LEED.  For example, Pilot Credit 43 only applies to non-structural products and materials, while Credit 7 for FSC-certified wood applies to “wood building components” including “structural framing and general dimensional framing, flooring, sub-flooring, wood doors and finishes.”

On the one hand, the benefit of allowing other certification bodies to be included helps to broaden the market and makes it more likely that wood used in new projects will have at least some degree of sustainability. But, on the other hand, defenders of FSC wood point to the “Leadership” in LEED and argue that the other wood certification bodies do not represent as progressive a certification as FSC, and should therefore not be allowed for LEED.

Although using FSC-certified wood is less of an issue in LEED for Homes (“LEED-H”) than it is in commercial construction, if this pilot credit is adopted, it will likely have ramifications in all LEED rating systems including LEED-H.  Pilot Credit 43 is not currently available for testing in LEED-H projects, but decisions made in the core LEED system will have a likely impact on future versions of LEED-H.

The pilot credit is focused on transparency in providing information about life cycles, ingredients, and material attributes. To this end, not only forest products but a range of building materials can contribute to LEED certification through this pilot credit.  For example, certain materials and products with Cradle to Cradle or Energy Star certifications may contribute to receiving the credit.

Let us know what you think about the new certified products pilot credit.

First noticed on Builder Online.

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In 2007, the Portland Regional Multiple Listing Service (“RMLS”) began tracking sales of homes with a green certification such as Energy Star, LEED for Homes, or Earth Advantage New Homes. The Earth Advantage Institute, an Oregon-based non-profit doing work in the green building sector, annually reviews this information in order to glean home valuation trends.

Specifically, Earth Advantage found that existing homes with a green certification sold for 30% more than homes without such a certification. Earth Advantage also found that new homes with a green certification sold for 8% more than new homes without a certification.

The research is based on sales between May 1, 2010 and April 30, 2011 in Multnomah, Clackamas, Columbia, and Washington Counties in Oregon, and Clark County in Washington. While there are differences in the various counties, the data supports the notion that new and existing homes with a green certification have higher sale values.

In addition, Earth Advantage found that of 2,237 new homes sold in the last year in the Portland RMLS area, 408 of those homes were certified to some green standard.  Thus, the Portland area is seeing about 18-20% market share of certified new homes and these homes all have a sizable price premium.

There is one big thing to keep in mind.  The amounts are based on averages of all homes in the county, not comparable properties, and a larger number of higher priced green homes may raise the averages.  But as a point of reference, the research indicates that homes with certification yield a price premium when sold.

[+] Read the report summary by Earth Advantage Institute.

Credits: Earth Advantage Institute (tables).

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