Zero Energy Home Rob, Alex, Karen, Iman

Project Overview Project Goals: -Creating a Zero Energy Home that is still our dream home where we would all desire to live. -Designing in a way that is energy efficient and aesthetically pleasing Important Features: -2 story arched windows on South wall -Spiral staircase -2 story sunroom with mass floor -Solar water heater -Open kitchen -TV / media room -Best for family of 4-6 people House Size2852 sq. ft. Number of floors2 Number of bedrooms4 Heating SystemHigh Efficiency heat pump Size of PV system7.3 R-value for ceiling60 Wall ConstructionDouble 2x4 with 10” foam

Research Summary Typical Characteristics of ZEH based on team research: -All homes researched under 2000 sq. ft. -Ventilation air heat recovery and solar water heater systems -Most common heating system – heat pumps -Photovoltaic systems range from kW in size

Research Summary sq. ft kWh used and 4892 kWh produced annually -light skirt glows red when using energy from grid and green when producing more than it uses 2000 sq.ft. home with only a 4.2 PV system - ZEH can be simple, unique, unusual or anywhere in between

Envelope -473 sq. ft. of windows main cause of air leakage -Ceiling R value of 60 -Double 2x4 wall construction with 10” insulation -Double low e windows - chose cheaper model because triple low e let out less heat but also let in less passive solar heat. - about the same efficiency -Air tight with heat recovery - utilizing this option allowed us to decrease size of PV system

Appliances Sony 46” LCD Television -213 kWh/year -$ Yearly opp costs $ Not most energy efficient -Best choice economically Amana 24.9 Cu. Ft. French Door Refrigerator -683 kWh/year -$ Yearly opp costs $73 -Not Energy Star -Most cost efficient

Appliances GE 24 In. Built-In Dishwasher -324 kWh/year -$ Yearly opp costs $28 -Energy Star -Most efficient for economic value Whirlpool Lunar Silver Duet HE 4.4 cu kWh/year -$ Yearly opp costs $25 -Energy Star -More expensive – ten years to pay back cost difference

HVAC Electric High Efficiency Heat Pump -More than 100% efficient -Only small system necessary due to passive solar -Delivers both heating and cooling -Utilizing high efficiency dropped pv system size by.5 kW -Saved $86 in utilities Duct Location: Inside thermal envelope

Solar Technologies -7.3 kW PV System -30 panels needed -SolarWorld Sunmodule watt panels -$ per panel -Cheap model with correct dimensions to support our energy needs Solar Water Heater Utilized

Passive Solar -3’ Overhang shades 2 nd story windows on South walls in summer -383 sqft of windows on South wall -2 story bay windows -Mass floor -Smaller windows for bedrooms -Open spaces for air circulation

Behavior -Frequent use of clothes line (save energy on dryer use) -Water Conservation - air drying dishes - short showers - low water settings on clothes washer - Very few extra appliances -Regulating home temperatures Summer above 76° Winter 68-70° -Recycling Practices -Compost pile

Key Decisions Realized necessity to use heat recovery based on number of air changes/ hour - Very few extra appliances to utilize less energy - Change practices (air drying) to control energy use

SketchUp Model North Wall – Front of House

2 nd Floor

1 st Floor

Shadow in November at noon Shadow in June at noon

Physical Model

2 nd Floor Bedroom Bath Bedroom Master Bedroom Bath Closet Spiral Staircase

1 st Floor TV room Bath BedroomSunroom Kitchen Spiral Staircase

Summary Lessons Learned -Teamwork – task distribution -Solving design complications with the size and dimensions of our home -Understanding our environmental impact (Footprint calculator) -Interrelation of classroom lessons and their applicability to real design Important Aspects: -2 story arched windows for passive solar -383 sqft windows on mass wall -Open spaces on 1 st floor for air circulation and large windows -Tight with heat recovery -High efficiency heat pump -Solar Water Heater -7.3 kW PV System -Combination of both ordinary and energy efficient appliances

Greatest Challenges: -Cutting down on size while maintaining all desired features -Understanding the real life size of our 2852 sqft. home -Choosing between energy efficiency and cost efficiency Favorite Features: -Alexandra loves the 2 story arched windows and the way the light shines in on our open sunroom. -Karen likes the openness of the house. -Rob likes the spiral staircase and how it can be viewed through the large back windows -Iman loves the aesthetic look of the house from the back (South wall view).

Reflection After completing our ZEH project, we can now understand… - how parts of a system interrelate especially those dealing with energy - how to utilize SketchUp and SolidWorks to bring our ideas to life - that solar energy can be used in combination with energy from the grid but greatly contributes to reducing nonrenewable energy resources Zero Energy Homes… - Do not have to be ugly or bizarre to be efficient and effective - Can still have the qualities of you dream home while lessening your ecological footprint - Are still connected to the grid but create as much energy as they use - Work best when combined with sustainable practices and behavior

Reflection Working as a team could be improved by… - more efficient and assertive task delegation - having better and more open communication - a more equal distribution of individuals work loads On the next project… - we will start earlier and spread the work out over a longer period of time - we will improve at delegating tasks and making sure everyone participates fully - our team will try to better visualize the end product from the beginning of our design process We remember most about using SketchUp… - that layers are very helpful in the design process - that after becoming more comfortable with the software we created a more intricate model - that precision from the earliest stages is important because imperfections cannot be easily fixed and can slow results later