6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Professor Emeritus, Ramapo College of NJ 1 Sustainable Building Design and Construction – Approaching Zero Net Energy

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 2 Introduction House Built Acre Site Warwick,NY 2400 ft2 Two Story Initial Price $170,000 ($70/ft2) + $ Land Superinsulated Earth Bermed Low Air Exchange (AAHE) Solar Hot Water – 2 4ft by 8ft collectors Passive Solar Heating 200 ft2 South Window Additional Costs Added Insulation (Attic and Basement 2007) ($1,000) Solar Greenhouse 8 ft by 12 ft (2002) ($10,000) Solar Electric PV System 3.9 kW (2003) ($13,000)

Why Focus on Sustainable Buildings? 1. Reduces impact of escalating energy prices. 2. Significantly lowers impact on the environment and on global climate change. 3. It is affordable. Sustainable design and construction adds 5-15% to the cost of a house, but payback time is reasonable. 4. Sustainably designed houses provide excellent comfort. 5. Sustainably designed houses are healthy (low indoor air pollution). 6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 3

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 4 Design Features and Goals Siting – orientation for solar access, windbreaks to west, berming Room Layout – spatial efficiency, heating, daylighting, views Energy Efficiency – fluorescent and CFL lighting, thermal envelope, appliances, passive cooling Renewable Energy – passive solar, solar greenhouse, solar hot water, solar electricity, daylighting Food Production – organic garden and orchard Indoor Air Quality – air exchange and source reduction Simple and Relatively Maintenance-Free Operation

Whole House System Design Recognize that the house is a complex interacting system where decisions about heating, air exchange, distribution and venting can impact comfort, health, and the environment. Plan design to have various components work synergistically with each other to provide high efficiency, comfort, convenience and longevity with low impact 6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 5

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 6 Foundation Bermed on North Partly bermed on E,W Stepped to save concrete Radiant heating in slab 2 inches insulation below slab Radon pipes in gravel

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 7 South View Passive Solar Design – south window, orientation, shading – no extra cost! East berm visible 200 ft2 of South Window Cantilevered for South Shading for downstairs

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 8 North and West Views Double Carport on North side Main Entryway on North Side Less window area on east, west and north sides Bottom – completed view from road

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 9 South Views in Summer and Winter Solar hot water heater on roof Greenhouse added in 2002 Note summer and winter shading on windows Deck and screened in porch on right side shade east windows and door

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 10 Air Tight Construction Needs Ventilation AAHE or HRV needed 70 watt fan Air exchange core Filters Drip tube

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 11 AAHE Layout Inlet/Outlet to Outside Stale Warm Air Removed from Bathrooms Cool Fresh Air Heated and Distributed to 4 Rooms Control Unit and bathroom controls

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 12 Vestibule Reduces Air Entry Tight house construction includes: Vestibule Caulking Weatherstripping Casement windows Tyvek on walls and in attic

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 13 Auxiliary Heating/Distribution Oil-fired sealed combustion boiler 90% efficient Fresh air inlet Back wall chimney outlet Indirect-fired backup hot water tank Upstairs – baseboard heating, radiant in bathroom Downstairs – radiant in slab 5 zones – 3 up and 2 down

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 14 Passive Solar – Heat and Light Top - Daylighting in upstairs living room Bottom - Daylighting in downstairs study Sun’s energy stored in thermal mass, upstairs in wallboard and furniture, and downstairs mostly in tile and slab

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 15 South Views Views from south side living room window in fall and in winter

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6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 17 Solar Hot Water 2 4ft x 8 ft solar thermal collectors 12 volt PV panel 80 gallon storage tank Propylene glycol antifreeze Heat exchanger 12 volt DC pump Provides 75% of hot water needs over the year

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 18 Pump and Heat Exchanger 12 volt DC pump operates off of PV panel and circulates antifreeze to collectors Heat exchanger transfers heat from antifreeze to 80 gallon tank by thermosyphoning Solar tank feeds auxiliary hot water tank or can be operated to bypass the tank directly in summer System operates independently of house electricity Latest Version – electric backup to 80 gal tank run off of PV

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 19 Efficient Lighting Daylighting Valence lights Fluorescent lights CF bulbs Task Lighting Incandescent bulbs used in closets

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 20 Passive Cooling Strategies Avoid sunlight entry in warm weather (overhangs, shading) Daylighting not electric lighting Move appliance use to evening Open design allows effective breeze cooling Berming keeps downstairs < 70 o F all summer Close up on hot days and vent at night with window fan.

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 21 Design for Effective Cooling South roof overhangs Porch and deck blocks east windows in summer West windows minimized and deciduous trees and reflective panel reduce heat Eave and roof ridge venting Substantial insulation and tightness reduces heat gain Upstairs window fan in double hung window No air conditioning is used or needed

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 22 Efficient Appliances Refrigerator Freezer Clothes Washer Clothes Dryer Solar Clothes Dryer Electric Cook Stove Dishwasher Minimize parasitic loads Electric use averages 250 kWh per month, about 1/3 of average

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 23 Efficient Use of Materials Green Material Use TREX used for porch and deck flooring Less use of concrete for foundation Gravel driveway/ mulched walkways Sealed combustion furnace – no chimney Carport – no enclosed garage No carpeting Product use (cleaners, etc.) – low emissions Slab triples as floor, heat distribution system and as thermal mass

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 24 Indoor Air Quality Air-to-Air Heat Exchanger Radon collection pipes and stack pipes Sealed combustion furnace No other combustion appliances No carpeting Kitchen vent fan Pollution source reduction during construction and in everyday operation

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 25 Food Production/Storage 3000 ft2 garden 4 season production Raised bed Intensive spacing Organic methods Mulch Food Storage – cold storage and freezing Composting

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 26 Food Storage/Composting Bermed storage room stays at degrees in winter Food waste buried directly in garden beds or saved in garbage pail over the winter and then buried

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 27 Water Recycling Two 500 gallon cisterns collect rainwater from the roof for use in watering trees, shrubs and the garden during dry periods, minimizing use of well water.

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 28 Solar Greenhouse Solar Greenhouse added in ft by 12 ft Vents into house through door Insulated slab Thermal storage in slab and water barrrels Fan assisted heat transfer

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 29 Solar Greenhouse Construction Aluminum frame Double glass Butyl rubber seals Vents on 4 sides plus a roof vent Fan on timer

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 30 Greenhouse in Operation In spring, GH used for starting seedlings In fall, GH extends growing season In winter, hardy greens produced Heat gain is used throughout the heating season Never heated at night in winter

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 31 Solar Electric System Installed KW peak power 36 Evergreen Solar panels Net Metering System Net cost $13,000

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 32 PV Panel Installation

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 33 PV Installation

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 34 PV Installation Inside Top - Roof Penetration Bottom Left - Layout in basement – inverter, DC switch and panel box Bottom Right – Inverter close-up

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 35 What Is Net Metering? Performance of 3.9 kW estimated at 5400 kWh per year Meter does turn backwards Actual performance exceeded estimate by few hundred kWh over the year

6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 36 Overall Assessment as of 2006 About 220 gallons of oil used for heat and hot water over the year (varies slightly year to year) The house achieves about a 95% reduction in fossil fuel use compared to an average similarly sized house for heat, hot water, cooling and electricity Comfort levels are excellent Operation and maintenance has been easy

What about Zero Net Energy? Added R-19 to attic to give R=60 (25 gal) Added 2 flow control valves (15 gal) Added insulation to basement (10 gal) Added more CFL’s where possible (5 gal) Window insulation at night (60 gal) Added electric backup to solar tank (25 gal) Total projected to give about 140 gallons of oil in savings 6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 37

More Attic Insulation R-19 added to existing R-38 to give R-60 Tyvek removed and then resealed Two inches of styrofoam laid over walkway 6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 38

Fabric Covered Insulation Panels 1 inch isocyanuate panels covered in bubble wrap and then fabric 6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 39

Was Zero Net Energy Achieved? Several of the mentioned energy savings projects were completed throughout the winter 0f 2008 and into In August of 2009, 1500 kWh (excess electricity for the previous year) was “bought” by O&R, providing a credit of ~ $ kWh is equivalent to about 50 gallons of oil. The winter of used 117 gallons of oil. Net energy = 117 gal oil used – 50 gal “oil” as excess electricity = +67 gal. 6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 40

Possible Remaining Projects More basement insulation on the outside of the house might save around gallons of oil. Some small projects such as tightening the house a little more could add some savings. The additional savings to get to zero net energy appear small, but are hard to achieve. 6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 41

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6/10/2016 Dr. William J. Makofske, Ramapo College of NJ 43 Credits The design was developed by the author and his wife in All pictures have been taken by the author. Copyright, Use of material must have approval.