Date post: | 10-Jun-2015 |
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Design |
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3rd Annual North AmericanPassive House Conference
(via Las Vegas)
Whole > Sum:Parts
Report-back by Bronwyn Barry
Quantum BuildersFor Sustainable Living, Inc.
Duluth - Gateway to the Great Lakes
…And damn far away!www.quantumbuilder.com
Presentation Highlights
• Katrin Klingenberg - overview of progress
• Mike McCulley – original super-insulation pioneer: the Lo-Cal house
• Manfred Brausem – German PH architect with box of wonderful products, including Enersign windows
• Linda Wigington – 1000 Home Challenge
• Marc Rosenbaum – technical guru
• Chris Benedict and Henry Gifford – reducing real energy consumption in NY apartment buildings by 80%
www.quantumbuilder.com
Systems info:
• General disappointment with efficiencies of Geothermal from many attendees – too expensive and output not worth it.
• Air to air heat-pumps (by Japanese) have lowest energy cost but are hard to learn about (poor translations)
• Book recommendation: ‘Solar Hot Water Systems’ by Tom Lane
• Most architects recommended using the OSB layer as the air barrier layer, primarily on the inside. (Marc Rosenbaum made a case for using it on the outside, but this was considered a bit risky.)
www.quantumbuilder.com
Cool ideas…
• PV panels should be installed to run the car, not the house!
• Check ‘sleep mode’ energy consumption for all appliances when purchasing
• Houses from 1800’s have correct window ratio’s for heat and natural lighting requirements
• Use SketchUp to model a house in 3-D and then model can be inserted on site with GoogleEarth to check solar shading
www.quantumbuilder.com
Cool products…• Penetration gaskets for wiring and plumbing (German only)
• Electric Heating foils – used to provide minimal back-up heating with thermostat controls (www.enerfoil.com)
• Glass rocks – underslab insulation (www.glapor.com)
• Thoroseal used to create air barrier at concrete areas (www.thoroproducts.com) and for OSB
• Enersign Doors and Windows (www.quantumbuilder.com)
• ERV – Ultimate Air Recouperator (www.ultimateair.com) • Plumbing air admit valve – reduces need for roof penetrations
(www.studor.com)
• Crawlspace Vapor Barrier – 10 mm by Raven Industries (www.ravenind.com)
www.quantumbuilder.com
The home tour:1st Stop - Isabella Eco Home
• 2 hours north of Duluth (tundra!)
• Vacation home for Minneapolis couple
• 2,100 sf ‘loft’• Huge list of
Green features• Sand heat
storage system• Green roof• Leed Platinum
& PH certified
www.quantumbuilder.com
• Closed cell foam at rim joists
• Blown-in dense pack cellulose in double frame walls
• Insane roof design!
Details…
• Spray foam around steel beams and framing connectors
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Cool windows…
• German triple-pane, FSC certified, all-wood with compression seals
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Efficient solar… (most of the time)
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But a gorgeous house…
www.quantumbuilder.com
“ Oow, honey, what does that thing say-eh?”
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“Only 2 degrees below right now –eh!”
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“No, reealy-eh? Let me take a look at that!”
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2nd Stop: Duluth Skyline House• 2,900 SF 3 bedroom single
family with views over Lake Superior
• Solar hot water system for domestic and radiant floor heating
• Wood stove for back-up• Geothermal ventilation air-
tempering system! (?)• Whole house HRV system
for ventilation• (Very complicated)
www.quantumbuilder.com
• Very attractive internal thermal mass (heat-storing) wall inside stairs at south-facing windows
• Canadian-made insulated fiberglass triple-pane windows
www.quantumbuilder.com
• Did not meet PH standards, but came very close!
• Air leakage was downfall: 0.93 ACH at 50Pa.
Close, but not a PH…
www.quantumbuilder.com
Be glad you live in California!
Thank you.www.quantumbuilder.com