EcoSmart | NetZero Energy Homes Workshop

NetZero Living ... Our Past and Our Future 

In this #NetZero workshop we will share lessons learned on how to make NetZero living affordable and explore ways to make it cool and the way of the future.

Net Zero Workshop Agenda:

• A Recipe for High Performance Homes

• Why all I learned about Passive Design could be Wrong | Tree Hugger

• What wall System should I Use

• NetZero Case Studies

• EcoSmart #Prefab #Green

• Blue Herron Haus

• Green Builder Passive House project

• Next Project: Affordable Not-So-Big Positive Cash Flow NetZero 

Please contact Kyle Menz for dates, times and pricing.  kmenz@i-designs.ca

Murray Guy aka @Lean_tobe_Green
Learn: LEAN LAB. … Design: Integrated Designs … Build: EcoSmart

Net-zero energy buildings: Is construction 'at the tipping point' of a new green building era? | Construction Dive

Net-zero energy buildings are today’s ultimate green building statement. From the proposed Bride of the Gulf in Basra, Iraq — which will be the tallest building in the world if completed — to Tesla's gigafactory in Reno, NV, the biggest players in building design and innovation are choosing the net-zero path.

Net-zero energy buildings: Is construction 'at the tipping point' of a new green building era? | Construction Dive: "Net-zero energy buildings: Is construction 'at the tipping point' of a new green building era?
By Kim Slowey | February 4, 2016 print
share tweet post email

In this article we learn that #NetZero buildings are #Cool

• DPR Construction Construction built themselves a Living building challenge Net Zero building in San Francisco
• With no Energy bills are like $20 per month (Infrastructure charges)
• Passive design principles are key for building load management
• Construction costs needed to be $200 psf
• You just feel different in a building like this
• People need to accept wider temperature swings, but they are OK with that!

Our own experience with our own NetZero projects is that with  lean and prefab construction you can have your cake and eat it too.  NetZero performance at close to NetZero additional cost

If you are interested in finding out how to build NetZero check out some of our projects.

• EcoSmart NetZero Duplex Saskatoon (My home)
• Blue Herron Haus
• Mosaic Center 30,000 sq.ft Living Building Challenge/NetZero office facility
• Okanagan College 50,000 sq.ft Living Building Challenge/NetZero Trades Complex

Murray Guy aka @Lean_tobe_Green

NetZero Projects: Learn Online LEAN LAB. Design Integrated Designs or Build EcoSmart  

'via Blog this'

EcoSmart | Double Wall Passive Design Affordable NetZero Homes

Blue Heron Haus

Net 0 Targeted Home for Kent & Darcy Earle

For this passive solar design the goal was to deliver an affordable simple Net Zero energy home at approximately the same cost as a traditional build. This was achieved by integrating project management and construction services with a high level of owner involvement.  By utilizing simple energy efficient technology together with a passive solar design, hopefully we have reduced the building loads enough that the 6 kW PV system will produce as much energy as the home consumes. The home is simple in design enabling material use and construction efficiency.

The views of the South Saskatchewan River are amazing

The technical solution includes a double wall high performance-building envelope that is 16 inch thick with passive house quality fibreglass triple glazed windows, Energy Star + appliances, in floor heating, LED lighting, HRV, wood stove and an electric boiler.  There is no cooling other than with natural ventilation provided by opening windows and screen doors.

LEAN  

²  Design to a Target Cost

²  Hand Picked Team with Vertical Integration of Services

²  Pull Planned the Project (6 Month Construction Schedule)

GREEN

²  Leadership: Net 0 Passive Solar Demonstration Project

²  Connection to Nature: The views of the South Saskatchewan River are amazing

²  Simple Design: Exposed concrete floors, basement walls

²  Education: Passive Haus Tour, Awesome Website http://blueheronhaus.com/

²  Economics: Net 0 Energy with a Positive Return on Investment

Murray Guy ... mguy@i-designs.ca     Builder  www.eco-smart.ca

Interview: https://youtu.be/-YIXofePkVI     Lean Training:  www.LeanLab.ca

The Secret to Affordable Net Zero | EcoSmart

"Peter Amerongen is one of the acknowledged grandfathers of the net-zero home—a home that produces as much energy as it consumes. Using his secret formula for insulation you can make a net-zero home in the most northerly city in North America.

The era of net-zero homes is upon us. These super-efficient homes use rooftop solar energy production and smaller, electric powered heating systems such as air source heat pumps to produce as much energy as they consume.

That’s some sexy technology, but it only gets us halfway to net-zero. 

The real secret is insulation.

“We like the double 2x4 wall because it gives us the most economical high R-value,” says Amerongen. “The true energy performance on this is about R40.”
Double studs - creating a true R40 wall  “We like the cellulose because it's essentially a recycled material," says Amerongen. "It's got the lowest energy content in the insulation itself."

Amerongen also blows cellulose insulation into attics to a depth of two feet or more to achieve R80. In the basement, Amerongen shares another secret for energy efficiency.

“The heat loss from a basement wall can be just as high as the heat loss from above ground walls." he says. "We install four inches — two, two-inch layers of expanded polystyrene against the concrete — and then we build a 2x4 frame wall that we put a R22 mineral wool batt in. So we get a total of about R37, R38 in our basement wall."


“We also use it to some degree for giving us additional air tightness,” says Amerongen.

“Air tightness is a critical part of energy conservation, as important as insulation. 

A house that's highly insulated but still leaky will find its biggest [energy loss] is air

The final component in the home insulation puzzle are triple glazed windows, some of which achieve R8, a vast improvement over conventional windows.

The era of net-zero homes is upon us. 

These super-efficient homes use rooftop solar energy production and smaller, electric powered heating systems such as air source heat pumps to produce as much energy as they consume.

For the FULL STORY  on Peter's Recipe 

Insulation 101: One builder's secret blueprint for a net-zero home | Blog Posts | Pembina Institute:

You may also want to check out another former Factor 10 warrior Rob Dumont's recipe

 Directives for High Performance Homes  in a North Climate! 

If you need a builder for your Net 0 home or want a copy of Rob Dumont’s Factor 10 recipe please visit EcoSmart

'via Blog this'