First of all, let us welcome you to the future of advanced home design.  For most people an investment in their living space is paramount, after all, this is where you spend most of your time and this is where family memories are made; birthdays, anniversaries, holiday gatherings.  We understand that the home must grow with the growth of the family.  It must meet you and your family’s changing needs and be responsive to the environment.

We would like to introduce the future in home design with the first L.E.E.D. Platinum Certified zero energy home (ZEH), specifically designed for the middle class. These homes come standard with low to no exterior maintenance, maximum energy efficiency, a 5 - 8 person protective safe room that doubles as a utility room, ADA adaptability for increased resale value, a xeriscape lawn that requires very little care, and more importantly, no electric bills.

With resource reductions that are the very highest in the housing industry, we can achieve more than an 80% reduction on water usage and a 110% reduction on electrical usage. These homes are designed to take full advantage of natural renewable energy sources through smart design and construction techniques.

Let us introduce you to the world of possibilities…

The path to energy independence begins at the design stage with a qualified “green” Architect. This is a 3 part design problem.  First, we must address the overall insulation envelope of the building.  We must analyze the Energy Retention ability of our building design.  Does the building maintain good climate control?  Do we have good seals around all penetrations such as doors and windows?  Do we have sufficient eave shading around the perimeter of our building?  Have we protected the building from intense focused thermal radiation associated with South and West facing walls?  Have we taken advantage of passive solar heating?  Second, we must look at the Energy Conservation ability of the building design.  Have we chosen lighting, appliances and mechanical systems that operate at the highest possible efficiency?  Have we calculated the average use of these systems per day?  Third and most important is Energy Production.  Once we have designed the building to maximize energy retention and energy conservation we can now design a renewable energy production system.  This could take many forms and even a collective effort from more than one source to satisfy the building’s daily electrical needs.  For example; we could install a Solar Array, Wind Turbine, if near a flowing stream a Hydro-Electric system or if located atop a thermal region of the world a geothermal energy system.  The location, energy needed, maintenance frequency desired and cost will be the deciding factors.

Once we understand these three basic design parameters, energy retention, energy conservation, and energy production, then we can start to develop our zero energy building by choosing the best possible design solutions for the structural system, mechanical system, plumbing system, electrical system and renewable energy system.

Structural Systems

While traditional homes are constructed with light wood frame construction (2x4 and 2x6) and this is a typical throughout the United States, there are other options. These alternative options, in most cases, offer a higher degree of energy efficiency, sound control, stability, ease of construction and reduced cost and are naturally available in most cases.  Some of the building systems that UDC has experimented with in association with our partners are: Insulated Concrete Form (ICF), Adobe, Compressed Earth Bricks (CEB), Rammed Earth, Light Straw Clay, and Straw bale.  UDC is currently researching two new experimental systems; Earthbags and papercrete.

Mechanical Systems

While most houses are configured to utilize a forced air circulation and climate control mechanical system, most are not properly designed.  A report generated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), reports that the average American mechanical system operates at 63% efficiency.   For most of us, we never consider the efficiency of our mechanical unit, we simply want it to cool or heat when we turn it on.  However, consider this: a mechanical system operating at 63% over a 12 month period could end up costing you $1,200 or more.  How is this problem solved?  Easy; simply have your mechanical system designed and sized by a competent professional mechanical engineer. A building designed with a “high performance” mechanical system will operate at or near 98% efficiency.  What is high performance?  High performance deals with the ease in which the air can travel through the duct work unimpeded, the amount of times the air can be replaced in an interior space, the quality of the air, and the proportional size (in tonnage) of your unit in relation to the total cubic volume of air needed per space.  We recommend and design into our homes, high performance mechanical systems that run at peak efficiency.  We specify round metal duct work that offers the greatest reduction in air disturbance and allows the homeowner the flexibility in cleaning the duct work as needed, (Flex duct and fiberglass duct can not be cleaned).  We offer natural solutions in the form of Passive solar gain, Geo Thermal heat pumps and solar radiate systems, to facilitate the ability to have a reduced size HVAC system or no mechanical system at all.  This is further expanded to the hot water heater by utilizing on-demand water heating systems, solar water heaters and in some cases geothermal heating systems.

Plumbing Systems

Have you ever thought of how much water is used by an average American?  The national average is 30 gallons of water per day per person.  That is close to 11,000 gallons of water per year!  What if I told you that there are low cost systems that could reduce your water bills up to 80% or more?  Surprisingly, it is very easy.  It is called the grey water return system.  It works by collecting water from you showers, bathroom sinks, washer discharge and natural run-off from you roof.  From that point you can use the water for landscaping or filter it and return it back to the house to supply water to your toilets.  The only water that can not be collected and reused is black water, which is typically discharged from toilets and the kitchen sink.  If you decide to use collected water for irrigation, you could use it in conjunction with a xeriscape landscaping plan with an underground drip system for maximum results, or simply water the yard with it through standard means. Another means of reducing your daily water usage is to install efficient faucets, shower heads and toilets. Collectively, these green alternatives can reduce your water usage up to 90%.

Electrical Systems and Natural Lighting

The electrical system, components, and devices that are associated with it is our focus.  To reduce load on an electrical system, we must be smart about designing a building that takes full advantage of natural light.  We can achieve that either through the use of skylites, lite tubes, or lite wells in order to reduce the amount of artificial light needed during the day.  We only want to utilize artificial light at night when the sun cannot provide the natural light needed.  A lot of research and development has been focused on this problem at UDC, and we are currently developing a new advanced natural lighting system that uses no artificial light during the day and only uses a single high watt lamp at night for the entire building.  A production model should be ready in early 2009.

It is important to always be aware of the amount of natural light you are allowing into a space.  Consider the natural light source’s (window, etc.) proximity, orientation, placement and size in relation to the direct sun source.  Consider a shading device that could allow the natural light source to be regulated during peak sun hours during the day.  In addition, be aware of the Sun’s ultraviolet light rays (UV) and how it can damage and/or fade carpet and home furnishings.  There are window tints available that reduce or eliminate UV rays.  

Once you have taken full advantage of natural lighting and safeguarded against excessive or unwanted passive solar gain and ultraviolet light (UV) damage, then we can choose our artificial lighting fixtures and lamps.  We want to choose fixtures that are Energy Star rated.  Select lamps that produce the greatest amount of light at the lowest wattage possible and have the greatest life span.  Some of these lamps are Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) and Light emitting Diode (LED).  It is also important to consider the wattage of ALL electrical appliances including electrical devices found in the kitchen, bathroom, garage, and most importantly all devices used for recreation such as big screen televisions, home theater equipment, video equipment, computers, and video games.  We need to calculate the amount of energy in watts each of the devices will use and also estimate the amount of time each device will be used on a daily basis.  This could be time consuming and possibly confusing.  UDC offers an energy analysis service for identifying a building’s average energy requirement for both new and existing residential and commercial buildings.  Contact us for a free Energy Analysis.

Renewable Energy System

A Renewable energy system is the most important element of a reduced energy or zero energy building.  After designing our building to maximize Energy Retention and Energy Conservation, we now need to calculate the daily average amount of electricity that the building will require.

This is done by examining our insulation envelope and amount of conservation designed into the building.  What are our exterior wall and roof R- values?  Have we been able to successfully reduce the amount of interior air from escaping out of the building through poorly sealed windows, doors and other wall penetrations?  Have we provided adequate building orientation in reference to seasonal sun positions?  Have we allowed for passive solar gain during winter months and allowed for protection for the building during the summer months when the sun is at its hottest?  What is our average daily electrical usage?  What is our average daily water usage?  Have we reduced the amount of water usage in the interior of the building by utilizing efficient faucets and plumbing fixtures? Have we designed an efficient landscaping theme?  

Once we can answer theses questions, we can now design the electrical production system.  These systems are site sensitive and your choice depends on your buildings location.  The best advice is to pick a renewable system that takes full advantage of natural resources indigenous to your buildings environment.  For example; if you are located in the South West part of the United States, the most prominent renewable energy source is solar power or wind power.  Both can be harnessed and utilized effectively to energize your building.  To add to these you also have: Bio-fuels, Biomass, Geothermal, Hydro Power, Tidal Power, and Wave Power.  The most common and also the easiest to maintain renewable energy source is solar power.  To some degree all other renewable energy sources are directly of indirectly influenced by solar energy.  It is important to note that not all renewable systems can be used for every building because there are building codes, home owners associations, city ordinances, available land, geographic locations, EPA regulations to be considered (just to name a few).  However, do not be discouraged, if you find no directives in your area concerning renewable energy sources- you may be the first to propose it!

UDC utilizes a solar array for all of our residential and commercial projects.  Primarily, because the system does not require routine maintenance, can withstand a 1” diameter hail impact at 140 MPH, are covered under the building owners insurance, and have a life expectancy of 40+ years.  Most photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers will warranty the panels for 15 to 25 years.  How long does a solar panel last?  There is no definite answer to that question, no one really knows.  How does the solar system work?  The solar array collects sunlight on the panels and converts it to direct current (DC).  The electrical current then flows through an inverter that converts the direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC).  Once this is accomplished, the building uses the amount of electricity it requires to operate per day.  All electricity not used during the day is put back into the electrical grid, causing the electrical meter to run backwards.  During the night, the electricity that the system has stored in the electrical grid is pulled out and used by the building.  Essentially, the electrical grid is utilized like a battery, as the storage mechanism for electricity for nighttime usage.  The electricity that is not used by the start of the next solar day is calculated as an energy credit.

Does the electrical company have to pay you for kilowatts that you produce?  Yes, the electric company is required to reimburse the home owner for all extra electricity produced by their renewable energy source at the same rate that they charge the energy customer.  This is called Net-metering.  Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, under Sec. 1251, all public electric utilities are now required to offer net metering on request to their customers.  Most of UDC’s designs typically produce in-between $100 to $150 a month of energy credit.  At the end of the year, these monthly energy credits are added up and the electric company will send the home owner a check for the amount of kilowatts produced for the year.  This check usually runs between $1,200 to $1,800, money that can be used for paying for the installation of the system, other housing costs or recreation.

History of Solar Energy

The first solar panel was crafted in the 1900’s by William Grylls Adams after he discovered that when light shined on Selenium, the material shed electrons, thereby creating electricity.  But, it was not until 1953 when Bell Laboratories (now AT&T labs) scientists Gerald Pearson, Daryl Chapin and Calvin Fuller developed the first silicon solar cell capable of generating a measurable electric current.  In 1956, solar photovoltaic (PV) cells were far from economically practical.  Electricity from solar cells ran about $300 per watt. (For comparison, current market rates for a watt of solar PV hover around $3.)  The “Space Race” of the 1950’s and 60’s gave modest opportunity for progress in solar, as satellites and crafts used solar paneling for electricity.  Some of the solar panels used for research by NASA are still in operation today in both ground and space based platforms and solar panels have found their way into every aspect of life around the world as the premiere renewable energy source.

Case Studies/ Field Research

Field research data for design professionals are available upon request.

In Conclusion

We hope that we have answered a few of your questions concerning sustainable design practices and perhaps offer you an insight into the possibilities of achieving a global independence from fossil fuels and combustion type energy production.  UDC has several zero energy house plans available for purchase here, and/or we can modify or customize any home or building design to be zero energy.

UDC is dedicated to the scientific, architectural, and engineering pursuits to discover, develop, and implement true tested materials and system configurations that promote energy independence by achieving a net zero energy stance for both commercial and residential buildings.  We strive to explore new and old methods of facilitating this goal by adopting an “out of the box” approach to sustainable architectural design.  We are always eager to assist our clients in realizing their energy independence dreams and are excited to hear from other green design professionals.  We welcome any questions and/or comments.  Please feel free to contact us or respond here.