25%

15%

7%

7%

5%

5%

5%

3%

33%

=

Each of the following strategies help zHome achieve zero net energy and carbon neutrality:

Groundsourceheatpump

Superinsulatedwalls

Hydronicheating

Highlyefficientappliances

Solarpanels

Zeronetenergyandcarbonneutrality

THE ROAD TO ZERO

Supertightairsealedenvelope

Highlyefficientlighting

Goodwindows

Heatrecoveryventilation

cOnSERvATIOn

PRODUcTIOn

PERvIOUS PAvEMENT

Benefitsofperviouspavement:Whenitrains,itdrains!zHomeusesperviouspavingtoallowstormwatertopermeatethroughtothesoil.Here,itisnaturallyfilteredandpollutantsareremoved.Oilandgaspollutantsareoxidized,volatizedanddispersedinthetoplayeroftheperviousconcrete.Thisalsorechargesgroundwater,whichisparticularlyimportantinanarealikeIssaquah,wheredrinkingwaterispumpedfromtheground.

A porous concrete pavement that allows water to permeate directly into the ground instead of running off into storm drains.

Perviouspavementisasolutiontostormwaterpollution.Stormwaterrunsoffofpavedroads,driveways,andyardsandflowstoourstreamsandthePugetSound.Stormwatercarriescommonpollutantslikepesticides,fertilizers,motoroil,detergentsandpetwaste.

Perviouspavingisalsoamoreefficientuseofland,asitremovestheneedforstormwaterpondsandfacilities.

GREEN ROOF

AbsorbsrainwaterRainisabsorbedbyplantsorevaporatesbackintotheatmosphere.Greenroofscanreducestormwaterrunoffby50-90%.

ProvidesinsulationThevegetationabsorbsheatduringtheday,andretainsitatnight.Thishelpsreducetheamountofenergyneededtoheatandcoolthebuilding.

createshabitatforwildlifeGreenroofscanencouragewildlife(suchasbutterflies,birdsandinsects)tostayinurbanareas.

A roof covered with plants over a waterproof membrane.

LowersurbanairtemperatureGreenroofscoolandhumidifythesurroundingair.Incontrast,anormalroofabsorbsheatthatisradiatedbackintoatmosphere,causingurbanareastoheatup.

ImprovesaestheticvalueGreenroofsimprovethelookofaflatroofwhilecreatingnaturalamenities.

IncreasesrooflifespanBecausethevegetationisplacedontop,theroofmembraneunderneathisprotectedfromclimaticandphysicaldamage.

GreenroofontopofzHomepottingshed/recyclingcenter.viewthisrooffromthesalesunit’scenterbalcony.

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DROUGHT TOLERANT LANDSCAPNG

Soilinthenorthwestcanbehard-packedandfullofclay.Amendingthesoilwithcompostcancreateamorefertilesoilthatdrainsbetter.

The typical household uses at least 30% of its water outdoors for irrigation. zHome’s landscaping uses drought-tolerant and native plants that won’t require any watering once they’re established.

cedarGrovetopsoil• 50%compostand50%sand• Improvesthepoorqualityofnativesoil• Sandprovidesnecessarydrainage

cedarGrovecompost:• Madefromlocallyrecycledgardenandvegetable

trimmings• Providesnutrientsandorganicmattertoincrease

plantgrowth• Increasescapacitytoholdwaterduringdrymonths

andreducesrunoffduringwettermonths• Reducesfertilizingandwateringneeds• Makesweedingeasier

SomeplantsatzHome:

Helictotrichon sempervirens BlueOatGrass

Vaccinium ovatum EvergreenHuckleberry

Acer cirinatum vineMaple

Nandina domestica HeavenlyBamboo

nativeplantsalvage:ManynativeplantsatzHomewereharvestedforreusefromIchijo’sfuturedevelopmentsiteaboutamileaway.

Amendedsoil:Bottom2”:composttilledintoexistingsoil

Top10”:70%topsoiland30%compostmix

Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’ -JapaneseBloodGrass-Ornamentalgrass-Soilstabilizer

Iris siberica - SiberianIris-Growswellinverymoistareas-Diseaseresistant

RAIN GARDEN

Benefits:•Providesbetterwaterqualitybyfiltering

runoffpollution.Thispreventspollutantsfromenteringstormdrainsandeventuallystreams.

•conserveswaterthroughlessirrigation•Rechargeslocalgroundwater•Enhanceslandscape•createshabitatforwildlifeRaingardensmayeitherbemoreurban(suchaszHome’s)ormorenaturalinaesthetic.Despitethevarietyinappearances,raingardensallservethesamefunction.

This rain garden includes a deep layer of gravel under the soil, which allows the water to filter directly into the ground. Nearly all the rain water that falls on the site – except for portions that go into the rainwater re-use system – ends up here or drains into the alley.

NO CARPETAlargeamountofindoorairpollutantsaretrackedinonthebottomofshoes.carpetstrappollutantsindoors,causingairqualityproblems.Bynotinstallingcarpet,youreducematerialusageandtoxicbyproducts,andwhateventuallymightbecomelandfillwaste.Also,solidsurfacefloorsareeasiertoclean!

StrategiesutilizedatzHome• Hardsurfaceconcreteandbambooflooring–

nowall-to-wallcarpet

• Builtintrack-offmatsareinstalledattheentranceofeachzHome

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CONSTRUCTION RECYCLINGSOURcE-SEPARATEDREcYcLInGistheprocessofseparatingrecyclablematerialsastheyaregeneratedonthejobsite.Theseparatedmaterialsarehauleddirectlytoarecyclingfacilityortransferstationthatacceptsthespecificmaterials.

cO-MInGLEDREcYcLInGistheprocessofmixingrecyclablematerialsinonecontaineronsite.Thecontaineristakentoamaterialrecoveryfacility,wherematerialsareseparatedforrecycling.

StrategiesutilizedatzHome• Usesalvagedplantsfromoffsite• Themajorityofthewasteproducedinthebuildingprocessisa

combinationofwood,cardboardandscrapmetal,allofwhichareeasilyrecycledifkeptseparated.zHomewasabletosuccessfullyrecycleorreuseover90%ofitsconstructionwastethroughsource-separatedrecyclingandco-mingledrecycling:Source-separatedmaterials• concrete• Plasticfilm• Fieldofficewaste• cleanwood

zHomesentsomematerialstobereused:

• EPS(expandedpolystyrene)wassenttovGRecyclewheretheysellittopackagingmanufacturersforreuse.

• Shippingpalletswerereusedforinteriorframing/blocking(handrails,hardware,etc)onsite.

• SlurrywassenttoPacificTopsoilstobereusedforsoilamendments.

• concretedemolitiondebriswassenttoRentonconcreteRecyclers.

• Metal• cleandrywallscraps• cardboard• Rockandsoil

co-mingledconstructionwastewastakentoamaterialrecoveryfacilitywithaminimumof75%diversion/recyclingrate

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WiththePacificnorthwest’swetclimate,moldcanhideinhomesatanytimeoftheyear,especiallyindampplaceslikebasements,atticsandbathrooms.Moisturetrappedinunventilatedareascausesmold,whichreducesindoorairqualityandimpactsoccupanthealth.currentevidenceindicatesthatthemostcommonsymptomscausedbymoldsareallergies.

MOISTURE CONTROLMoreserioushealthissueshavebeenlinkedtovarioustypesofmoldinindividualswithweakerimmunesystems.Preventingmoisturefromgettingtrappedinthewrongplacesandproperventilationarekeytokeepingmoldgrowthundercontrol.

StrategiesutilizedatzHome• Priortotheinstallationofinsulationorinterior

coverings,allwoodproductswereinspectedformoldandfungusbyathird-partyinspectionagency.

• Metalflashingandwaterproofingtechniquesweredetailedcarefullytoensurethewaterintrusionisminimized.

• BroadeavesatzHomenotonlyprovidemorespaceforsolarpanelsandraincollection,butalsokeeprainoffofthebuilding.

• Arainscreenunderthesidinghelpsthemoistureunderneathevaporateandpreventsmoldfromgrowinginthatspace.

Summer Cooling Season Winter Heating Season

vENTILATION

Outdoorairentersandleavesahouseby:infiltration,naturalventilation,andmechanicalventilation.

Infiltration:Outdoorairflowsintothehousethroughopenings;joints;andcracksinwalls;floors;ceilings;andaroundwindowsanddoors.

naturalventilation:Airmovesthroughopenedwindowsanddoors.Airmovementassociatedwithinfiltrationandnaturalventilationiscausedbyairtemperaturedifferencesbetweentheindoorsandoutdoors,aswellasbywind.

Mechanicalventilation:Examplesincludeoutdoor-ventedfansthatintermittentlyremoveairfromasingleroom,suchasbathroomsandkitchens,toair-handlingsystemsthatusefansandductworktocontinuouslyremoveindoorairanddistributefilteredandconditionedoutdoorairtostrategicpointsthroughoutthehouse.zHomewastightlysealedtohelpwithenergyperformance–twicewhatisrequiredbycode.Itistightenoughthattypicalnaturalventilationandevenwholehousefanswon’tworkbecausethehomeissotightthatthewholehousefancan’tpullairoutofthehousewithlimitedintakeleaks.ThefollowingstrategieswereutilizedbyzHometoensureadequateventilationandairquality:

StrategiesutilizedatzHome• Activelyventilatedhomeviaanairtoairheatexchangesystem• Garagessemi-opentotheoutsidewhichallowspassiveventilation• Ductopeningscoveredduringconstruction• Thoroughcleaningofductingpriortooccupancy• Heatrecoveryventilatoractsasawholehousefan• 0.20airchangesperhour(AcH)• Forsummermonths,zHomewasspecificallydesignedtonaturally

ventilateusingstackeffect.Thehighclerestoryandlowerdoorsareintendedtobeopenedtoallowairtorisethroughtheunitswithanaturalsuction.

Optimalventilationmakesahomefreshandcomfortable.Havingatightbuildingenvelopemeansthatenergyefficiencyishighsincetheamountofoutdoorair“leaking”inisminimized.Butiftoolittleoutdoorairentersahome,pollutantscanaccumulatetolevelsthatcanposehealthandcomfortproblems.

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faucets

laundry

toilets

WATER USE

Average daily water use per person zHome–29gallons

Typicalnewconstruction–77gallons

Typicalexistinghomes–101gallons

JAnFEBMARAPRMAYJUnJULAUGSEPOcTnOvDEc

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

220

200

180

160

140

120

100

Thesummerwatercrunch

Rainfall WaterUse

irrigation

misc.

dishwasher

bath&shower

U.S.Average101gallonsperpersonperday

zHome29gallonsperpersonperday/laundryandtoiletssuppliedbyrainwater

HEAT RECOvERY vENTILATOR

Providing fresh air while saving energy!

Tosaveenergy,eachzHomeisverytightlysealed(twicewhatisrequiredbycode).Thispreventscoldairfromleakingintothehome.verytighthomesneedtopayextraattentiontoprovidinggoodventilation.InzHome,freshairisbroughtintothehomebyaheatrecoveryventilator(HRv).HRvsexhaustwarm,staleairandpullinfresh,coldair.InsidetheHRv,ahoneycombheatexchangertransferstheheatpftheexhaustairtotheincomingair,sothatitisclosertoacomfortableindoorairtemperature.ThroughouteachzHome,supplyandreturnairistransportedinverysmallductswhichareabout¼thesizeofatraditionalforcedairductingsystem.

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ELECTRIC vEHICLEElectricvehicles(Evs)useelectricityastheonlyorprimarypowersource.Evsuseabatterytostoretheelectricalenergythatpowersthemotor.Evbatteriesarechargedbypluggingthevehicleintoanelectricpowersource,suchasthischargingstation.

Whyelectricvehicles?Evsareabreakthroughinreducingtheenvironmentalimpactsofdriving.vehiclesthatrunonpetroleumpollutetheairwithcO2andothertoxins.

AlthoughsomeoftheelectricityusedinEvscomesfromcoalandnaturalgasburningpowerplants,theamountofcO2emissionsresultingfromEvsisnearlytwothirdslessthanconventionalvehicles.InthePacificnorthwest,whereverylittleofourelectricitycomesfromburningpetroleumproducts,Evscauseevenlessindirectpollution.

An added benefit of EV’s are the avoidance of toxic oils and gas which come from petroleum based vehicles. Oil drips, splashed gas at the pump, and car washing all impact our waterways and salmon.

Today’s electric vehicles can travel at the same speeds as conventional vehicles and provide the same safety and performance. Newer vehicles have a minimum targeted range of 100 miles when fully charged. While this is shorter than the range on most conventional vehicles, according to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, more than 90% of all household vehicle trips in the US are less than 100 miles, making them great commuter vehicles.

chargingstationlevelschargingstationscomeinthreedifferentlevels:1,2,and3.

Level voltageTimeforcompletecharge

Ownership

One 120 8-10hours Primarilyresidential

Two 240 2-3hours Residential,governmental,commercial

Three 480threephase

20-30minutes Governmentalandcommercialonly

ThisstationincludesoneLevelOneandoneLevelTwooutlet.

Whythesesmallparkingstalls?

Inmanypartsoftheurbanarea,pavedareasexceed50%oftotallandarea.Thiscarhabitatworsensstormwaterrunoffandcreatesenvironmentswhichismorefriendlytocarsthanpeople.67%oftripsintheurbanareaincludeonlyonepersonandrealisticallycanbedonewithmuchsmaller,compactcars.Thesestallsonlyacceptsub-compactvehicles,allowingresidentstoreducetheenvironmentalfootprintoftheircarsaswellashomes.

Mitsubishii-MievvisitszHomeduringconstruction

Thisisachargingstationforelectricvehicles.

vehicletype cO2/mile

gasolinevehicle 380grams

electricvehicle 140grams

Basedonnationalaverage

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RAINWATER REUSE

Each zHome has its own rainwater cistern which provides water for toilet flushing, clothes washing and outdoor uses.

Thissystemisanticipatedtosavenearly9,000gallonsayearineachzHome.

6)Priortousethewaterisfilteredbyfiveandonemicroncarbonfilters.Thisdoesnotmakethewaterpotable,butitisveryclean.

5)Thewaterfillsa50gallonpressuretank.Whenitisemptied,thecisternpumpfillsitagain.

Aremotedigitalreadouttellsthehomeownerhowmuchwaterisremaininginthecistern.

Thecisternsmayrundryduringlongperiodswithoutrain.Inthatevent,apotablewaterhosebiballowsresidentstoaddwatertothecistern.

1)Rainiscollectedbygutteranddownspoutfromslopedportionofroof.

4)Waterispumpedunderpressureintothehome.Therainwaterpipeislabeledandcoloredpurpletoensurefutureremodelersknowitisnotpotable.

2)Aninitialtwostagefiltrationsystem(leaffilterandadiverterwhichcollectsthefirst2-3gallonsofrainanddivertsitfromthecistern)ensuresnoheavyparticlesenterthecistern.

1,700galloncisternsforunits4-6.Units1and2have1,000galloncisternswhichsitpartiallyaboveground,andunits3-10have1,700galloncisternswhicharecompletelyburied.

3)Waterfillsthecistern.Apumpsitsatthebottomofthecisternandpumpswaterasneededintothehome.