PSU’s Finest Zero Energy Home Andrew Timmons, Josh Temple, Kurtis Myhre, Steven Fischer 1

The Team 2

Project Overview Goals: To learn about the energy usage within a home and how to make it more sustainable To critically think and understand how to use appliances to create a Zero Energy Home To work together as a team to make this dream home possible 3

Researching Common traits we found in ZEH Solar Water Heaters Large amounts of South facing windows- Passive Solar Photovoltaic System Energy efficient appliances 4

Styrofoam Experiment Through this we learned how even the slightest opening (about 1 inch) causes more air changes per hour (air leakage) Based off of this box- a larger R value for wall and ceiling along with a more tightly sealed house will cut down the air changes per hour 5

Decisions For Our Home Less floor levels leads to an easier time conserving energy for the whole home Larger R value for insulation helps conserve heat Two Northern wings included to increase the aesthetic appeal of the home 6

Table of Basic Specifications LocationHarrisburg, PA House Size2125 sq ft. Number of Floors1 Occupants4 Bedrooms3 Type of HeatingGeothermal Heat Pump Main HeatingElectricity/Solar Size of Photovoltaic System 7kW Solar Water HeaterYes R Value of Wall and Ceiling (respectively) R 20 and R 60 Ventilation Air Heat Recovery Yes 7

Home Envelope Wall Construction- Double 2x4 with 10” foam- R 20 Ceiling Insulation- R60 Window Type- Triple low-e 8

Home Envelope Gross Wall Area sq ft. Gross Window Area- 409 sq. ft. 9

Appliances Refrigerator- Kenmore Black 22.9 cu. Ft. Side by Side Refrigerator Energy Star Efficient Up front cost- $ Operating Cost- 549 kWh/yr * $.075 /kWh= $41.18/yr Dishwasher- Super Capacity Tall Tub Dishwasher Energy Star Up front cost- $ Operating Cost- 324 kWh/yr * $.075 /kWh= $24.3/yr Television Sharp Aquos 52 Inch 1080p LED HDTV Up front cost- $ Operating Cost kWh/yr* $.075 /kWh= $11.25/yr 10

Appliance (cont.) Washing Machine- LG White 4.0 cu. Ft. Front Loading Washing Machine Up front cost- $ Operating Cost- 135 kWh/yr* $.075/yr= $10.13/yr We picked the appliance based off of the most energy efficient and cheapest/most cost effective 11

Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Heating and Cooling System- Electric Geothermal Heat Pump Duct Location- Inside thermal envelope 12

Solar Technologies Size of PV system- 7.0 kW Type of Panel- BP M sq ft per panel 28 panels in all Solar Water Heater- Sun Rain- 50 sq ft. of panel and 50 gallon tank 13

Behavior Family of Four- Water Conservation- A LOT Use of Clothesline- A LOT Thermostat Setback- A LOT Heat Thermostat Setting- 70 F Cool Thermostat Setting- 76 F 14

The Calculator Net Savings of -$40 a month!!!! General Info LocationHarrisburg Electricity cost ($/kwh)0.075 Conditioned floor area (sq.ft.)2125 Number of bedrooms3 Envelope Details Wall construction Double 2x4 with 10" foam Ceiling InsulationR60 Window typeTriple low-e Upper floor ceiling area (sq.ft.)2125 North wall area (gross) (sq.ft.)450 East wall area (sq.ft.)585 South wall area (sq.ft.)450 West wall area (sq.ft.)585 North window area (sq.ft.)149.7 East window area (sq.ft.)43.2 South window area (sq.ft.)108 West window area (sq.ft.)108 Air tightnessAverage Appliances RefrigeratorEnergy Star Clothes WasherEnergy Star DishwasherOrdinary Amount of other appliancesA lot less Heating & Cooling Heating & cooling system Electric geothermal heat pump Duct location Inside thermal envelope Solar Technologies Size of PV system (kw)7.0 Solar water heaterYes Behavior Water conservationA lot Uses clotheslineA lot Thermostat setbackA lot Heat thermostat setting (F) 70 Cool thermostat setting (F) 76 15

December 21 st - Solstice 16

Jun 21 st Solstice 17

March 20 th - Equinox 18

September 21 st - Equinox 19

Physical Model 20

Andrew’s Favorite Part Putting up the walls to the house “It was awesome to finally see the whole house coming together physically.” 21

Josh’s Favorite Part “Making the Sketch Up Model was the highlight for me. The computer stuff is what I am best at so doing that was great.” 22

Kurt’s Favorite Part I thought it was great working with the team and sharing ideas. Everyone communicated very well with each other, which made transferring the house from the computer to the physical model easy. 23

Steve’s Favorite Part “I really enjoyed designing the house and sketching it out on paper. It was fun being creative and planning out the rooms and the size of everything.” 24

Review Challenges Putting together the roof With so many measurements and different parts, building the physical model required so much effort Combining everyone’s thoughts of what to have in this home Making truly a Zero Energy Home, so many calculations made it challenging Important Aspects U-shape with wings branching out North One story Zero Energy Energy Star Appliances 7kW PV system 25

Conclusion Lesson Learned- 1.How to keep track and reduce energy use within a home 2.How our roles as engineers is to not only do our jobs but to do them in a sustainable and eco-friendly fashion 3.How to work together as a team and put everyone’s thoughts and points of view into the decision making process of this home 26