Using Passive House to get to Net Zero Energy
- 2. • Early Housing = no technology • 20th Century Housing = technology evolves • 21st Century = organized technology A Brief History
- 3. What is Passive House The term passive house refers to a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building Resulting in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling Thusly reducing its ecological footprint
- 4. Benchmarks in a Nutshell Space Heating/Cooling Energy Demand 15 kilowatt hours per square meter of Treated Floor Area per year or 10 Watts per square meter peak demand or in Imperial units 4.75 kBTU/sf*yr and 3.2 BTU/hr*sf respectively. Primary Energy Demand Total energy to be used in the building operations (heating + cooling + lighting + equipment + hot water + plug loads, etc…) is limited to 120 kilowatt hours per square meter of Treated Floor Area per year or in Imperial units 38.0 BTU/sf*yr.) Airtight Enclosure Allowable limit of 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals pressure (ACH50) that is verified with an onsite blower door test (pressurized and depressurized)
- 5. Passive House as Teacher We know what We know We know what We don’t know WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE DON’T KNOW Architect Engineer Builder Surgeon Astronaut Actor
- 6. What We Built • 3500 SF 4 bedroom Passive House W/ an Unconditioned Conservatory • R 45 Walls = 12.5” double stud wall filled with dense pack cellulose • R 49 Roof = 12” rafter filled with open cell foam • R 51 Floor = 12” floor joist filled with dense pack and capped with 1.5” polyiso • R 7.14 Klearwall Triple glazed tilt and turn windows • 2 ton Waterfurnace geothermal heat pump • 80 gallon Steibel Eltron heat pump hot water heater • Zenhder ERV
- 7. Passive House 5 1. Air tight building envelope 2. High efficiency windows and doors 3. Super insulation 4. Controlled ventilation with heat recovery 5. Thermal bridge free construction
- 8. Air Tight Construction • Consistent Indoor Comfort • Enhanced Insulation Performance • Proper Fresh Air Ventilation
- 9. Triple Pane Windows & Doors • Plays A Vital Role In Air Tight Construction • Increased Thermal efficiency - R-Value • Key Element for comfort factor
- 10. Super Insulation • Low investment with a high return • Keeps on giving tirelessly • Zero maintenance
- 11. Fresh Air System • Stale air is replaced with pre-conditioned fresh air • Prevents spikes in CO2 levels • Heat recovery operates at a minimum of 75% efficiency • Filters pollen, mold, dust, bacteria – MERV 13
- 13. Thermal Bridge Free Construction • Thermal Isolation between the inside and outside • Helps minimize losses and maximize retention
- 15. What Thermal Imaging Tells Us • Passive House vs. Traditional Construction A Stark Contrast
- 16. How Did We Do We were very pleased and the we hope the client lives healthily and happily ever after We performed a blower door test with only studs, plywood, windows and doors …… and We hit an ACH of 0.34 @ 50 pascals We performed our final blower door test …… and We hit an ACH of 0.37 @ 50 pascals With a final HERS score of 3
- 17. The Prime Directive In the fictitious universe of Star Trek, the Prime Directive is the guiding principle of the United Federation of Planets. The Prime Directive prohibits Starfleet personnel from interfering with the internal development of alien civilizations. Our Prime Directive To endeavor in the design and construction of buildings that have zero or positive effects on the entire ecosystem of our planet
- 22. Thank you