Report Back Presentation Us Passive House Conference 08

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.)


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


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)


http://www.thoroproducts.com/

http://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


• 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


Cool windows…

• German triple-pane, FSC certified, all-wood with compression seals


Efficient solar… (most of the time)


But a gorgeous house…


“ Oow, honey, what does that thing say-eh?”


“Only 2 degrees below right now –eh!”


“No, reealy-eh? Let me take a look at that!”


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)


• Very attractive internal thermal mass (heat-storing) wall inside stairs at south-facing windows

• Canadian-made insulated fiberglass triple-pane windows


• Did not meet PH standards, but came very close!

• Air leakage was downfall: 0.93 ACH at 50Pa.

Close, but not a PH…


Be glad you live in California!

Thank you.www.quantumbuilder.com

Design

Report Back Presentation Us Passive House Conference 08