Photovoltaic Systems

Archive for the ‘Residential’ Category

Recently I realized that we neglected to follow up on a Passive House project discussed in pre-construction way back in March 2010. It turns out the New England Passive House, or Little Compton Retreat, received LEED Gold certification from the USGBC in recent months. The background is this is a home by ZeroEnergy Design, who performed mechanical and architecture services, and Aedi Construction, who built the home.

Located in Little Compton, the 1,200 square-foot retreat has three bedrooms, one of which is a kid’s loft, two bathrooms, a tub room, and an open kitchen, dining and living area.

The handsome, gable-roofed structure saves energy with the combination of super insulation (R40 walls, R40 slab, and R70 roof), air sealing, high-performance windows, passive solar heating, a heat recovery ventilator, and an energy monitoring system, according a profile by ZED.

Other than LEED and Energy Star certification, Passive House certification is in progress.

Little Compton was finished with a modern Poggenpohl kitchen, contemporary furniture from Addo Novo, no- and low-VOC materials, paints, and sealants, and a whole-house ventilation system.

[+] See more photos of the Little Compton Retreat at ZED.

Photo credits: Greg Premru.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Passive House Retreat for Little Compton
2. Wisconsin Passive House in the Woods
3. Passive House: Brighter Shade of Green

What’s planned for construction by students on an infill lot and aiming to meet the Living Building Challenge with LEED Platinum certification?  That would be Canada’s Greenest Home in Ontario.  Students enrolled in The Endeavour Centre’s Sustainable New Construction: Building a New Future program will build the 2,000 square-foot home during a five-month period this summer.

The home is expected to use a fraction of the energy of a conventional home and will have an energy-efficient foundation, prefabricated straw bale walls, grid-tied photovoltaics, solar hot water, rainwater collection, greywater recycling, composting toilets, and natural paints and finishes.

Canada’s Greenest Home will go on sale at the end of the program and proceeds will be used to help offset tuition costs.  Before that, though, there’s a lot to follow — including a blog with student feedback and commentary on the build.

[+] Follow the construction progress of Canada’s Greenest Home.

Credit: The Endeavour Centre. 

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Reclaimed Tiny House Built by Students
2. Blue Sky Homes to Build New Eco Home
3. The OC Gets a Luxury Platinum Home

New Town Builders, the company that uses beetle-killed pine for their framing, opened this net-zero energy home with an announcement yesterday.  The company is the first in the area to offer a zero-energy package as a regular, additional option.  In other words, if a buyer wants it, the buyer can get a home that generates as much energy as it uses over the course of a year for the right price — in this case, $26,900.

This home, located at 8146 E. 35th Ave. in Denver, achieved a zero HERS score with solar panels, super insulation, and a proprietary double-stud wall.  As you can see, the wall has a half-inch gap and 24 inches between the studs to reduce thermal bridging. External walls have a thin layer of spray foam and the rest of the cavity is filled with blown-in cellulose.

During construction, New Town Builders checked the ducts for tightness to ensure that air reaches its destination with 7% or less loss.  Also, the home has a high efficiency HVAC system, energy efficient windows, Energy Star appliances, 100% CFL and LED lighting, a tankless water heater, and a continuous whole house energy recovery exhaust fan.

The model home is priced at $424,000, which includes a 9.9 kW solar array.  Green elements add about $100 to the mortgage cost, says New Town Builders, but the extra cost is eaten up by $200 in net savings per month due to having having no energy bill.

[+] More about this net-zero energy home in Stapleton.

Credits: New Town Builders.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Near NZE Morning Sun Home in Oregon
2. ZETA Fabricates Homes for NZE Project
3. Traditional NZE Home in Connecticut

New Town Builders, the company that uses beetle-killed pine for their framing, opened this net-zero energy home with an announcement yesterday.  The company is the first in the area to offer a zero-energy package as a regular, additional option.  In other words, if a buyer wants it, the buyer can get a home that generates as much energy as it uses over the course of a year for the right price — in this case, $26,900.

This home, located at 8146 E. 35th Ave. in Denver, achieved a zero HERS score with solar panels, super insulation, and a proprietary double-stud wall.  As you can see, the wall has a half-inch gap and 24 inches between the studs to reduce thermal bridging. External walls have a thin layer of spray foam and the rest of the cavity is filled with blown-in cellulose.

During construction, New Town Builders checked the ducts for tightness to ensure that air reaches its destination with 7% or less loss.  Also, the home has a high efficiency HVAC system, energy efficient windows, Energy Star appliances, 100% CFL and LED lighting, a tankless water heater, and a continuous whole house energy recovery exhaust fan.

The model home is priced at $424,000, which includes a 9.9 kW solar array.  Green elements add about $100 to the mortgage cost, says New Town Builders, but the extra cost is eaten up by $200 in net savings per month due to having having no energy bill.

[+] More about this net-zero energy home in Stapleton.

Credits: New Town Builders.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Near NZE Morning Sun Home in Oregon
2. ZETA Fabricates Homes for NZE Project
3. Traditional NZE Home in Connecticut