This house is more than simply a place for our clients to call “home”– it is an educational tool.
During the design/construction phase, we first educated ourselves about new green products/technologies and then shared what we learned with clients, subcontractors, city officials, and the general public.
Through simple conversations, public demonstrations,literature distribution,open houses and speaking engagements (we were invited to speak at a U of MN event in September 2008 about the construction of energy efficient homes) we helped turn many of the people we work with into advocates for sustainability (see Artistic Visions cabinet maker letter in the presentation for an example). Will we continue building green? ABSOLUTELY.
By Gigi & Rocky DiGiacomo, DiGiacomo Homes & Renovation
New Net Zero: Leading-Edge Design and Construction of Homes and Buildings for a Renewable Energy Future.
Green Star members enter a chance to win below! Deadline is July 31st
The Comprehensive Guide to Net-Zero Standards and Techniques, Including Construction Details
The new threshold for green building is not just low energy, it’s net-zero energy. In The New Net Zero, sustainable architect Bill Maclay charts the path for designers and builders interested in exploring green design’s new frontier: net-zero-energy structures that produce as much energy as they consume and are carbon neutral.
In a nation where traditional buildings use roughly 40 percent of the total fossil energy, the interest in net-zero building is growing enormously—among both designers interested in addressing climate change and consumers interested in energy efficiency and long-term savings. Maclay, an award-winning net-zero designer whose buildings have achieved high-performance goals at affordable costs, makes the case for a net-zero future; explains net-zero building metrics, integrated design practices, and renewable energy options; and shares his lessons learned on net-zero team building.
Both new-building and renovation projects are covered in detail. The New Net Zero is geared toward professionals exploring net-zero design, but also suitable for nonprofessionals seeking ideas and strategies on net-zero options that are beautiful and renewably powered.
“This book will become a game changer at a pivotal point in history. The New Net Zero is a technical manifesto that brings together engineering, ecology, architecture, energy, the construction industry, transportation, and design into a coherent whole. . . Immensely practical, thorough, and technologically comprehensive: it is a masterful job.”—John Todd, founder, John Todd Ecological Designs
Of The New Net Zero, The New York Times recently wrote: “Books by architectural firms are often vainglorious marketing efforts that keep the content glossy and light. But an ambitious new book … challenges the genre.” Read the full Q&A online.
Enter to win – Didn’t win? The first 50 sign ups get a 35% discount coupon code!
Sign up to win! (If you are not member we can get you signed up asap)
The Clean Energy Credit Union funds Green Home Improvements, Geothermal Heating and Cooling, Solar Power, Electric Vehicles, and E-Bikes.
GreenHome Institute Members are automatically Clean Energy Credit Union Members and can benefit from this financing to improve your home or new construction project.
Their new Clean Energy For All program reduces the interest rate on loans for borrowers who identify as BIPOC or may live in specific income-qualified communities nationwide. This program also helps people who have lower credit scores qualify.
Eligible items you can fund to improve your home or project include but are not limited to, Home Energy Ratings, Energy Monitoring, Windows, Insulation, Air Sealing, Cool Roof, Heat Pumps, Thermostat, Duct Sealing, Heat Pump Water Heater, Lighting, Electrical Upgrades, Energy Star Appliances and more. Learn more and review the full list here.
If you live in Michigan, you may also consider the Michigan Saves Program, which offers competitive financing for all these measures, including healthy home upgrades and lead removal. Learn more here
Inflation Reduction Act Incentives also may apply to many of these items you finance, so learn more about them here.
Are you looking for a job in sustainable housing? Consider the internationally recognized sustainability credential, the LEED Green Associate. You can take our training class by following this link. GHI members get free access to the training and practice exam. Below are several jobs you may be interested in applying for or sharing with a friend. Follow us on LinkedIn at #greenhomejobalert for real-time job updates over the next month.
“My name is Hemangi Chavan, and I am currently a graduate student pursuing a Master’s degree in Construction Management at Michigan State University. Under the guidance of Prof. George Berghorn, I am conducting research on mass timber materials and construction as part of my master’s thesis.
I would like to extend an invitation for you to participate in a brief survey that forms an integral part of my research. Your voluntary participation is of immense value, and your responses will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. The survey is designed to take approximately 15 minutes to complete and covers various aspects related to mass timber construction.
I want to emphasize that this survey is not a test of your knowledge but an opportunity for me to understand your perspectives and experiences in the field. There are no right or wrong answers, and your input is highly valued regardless of your level of expertise about mass timber.
Additionally, I have received 120 responses so far and need 400 more to reach my goal. I would greatly appreciate it if you could share this invitation within your network. The study caters to both academia and industry professionals within the AEC community, and your assistance in spreading the word is immensely appreciated.
Should you have any questions regarding the survey or my research, please feel free to reach out to me via email at chavanhe@msu.edu or direct message on LinkedIn.
Thank you sincerely for considering this invitation.”
In both cases, these efforts will help Shawn as a Construction Project Manager at the GHI member Kent County Habitat for Humanity Chapter. Shawn will be assisting in the construction of all LEED-certified housing to continue to reduce energy bills for families in need and a mission to improve housing performance, which brings in further equity to families in need by owning higher-performing homes.
We commend Shawn for his eagerness to learn and to help build better homes, ensuring greener homes for all!
The owner of this new home is a life-long resident of SW Michigan. Frustrated with the limitations of attempting to upgrade the energy efficiency of a 1950’s era ranch home, this environmentalist decided to “do it right” and build an energy efficient & eco-friendly dream home. After much research, the decision was made to pursue a “net-zero home”, meaning the house will generate all the clean renewable energy on site to power itself year-round. Zero fossil fuel burning, means no more pollution or green house gases which is the mission of Passive Building, to get the building sector to reduce it’s impact in our race with global warming.With lake views to the north and solar gain to the south, this wooded site was challenging to optimize window orientation and solar panels to these conflicting orientations. Yet, the design solution achieved stunning lake views from the primary “day spaces” as well as the master bedroom. Excellent solar gains from the second floor’s abundant south facing glazing with the perfectly dimensioned roof overhang shading the windows in the peak summer months. Computer animated modeling of the trees on the site allowed for optimum placement of the house and solar array.
The home’s curving floor plans are a metaphor for themes of contemplation, transformation and a healthy flow of what’s known in eastern cultures as ki (chi) or “life energy” valued by the owner. Circulating through the homes two floors and thermally isolated basement level garage via it’s stunning curved open riser staircases provides the feeling of living in a treehouse in nature. The home is designed with “Aging-In-Place” principles; is wheelchair friendly providing complete living services on the first level and is designed to accommodate installation of a vertical lift to the basement should it ever become needed.
The architect chose Passive House design principles knowing it’s the best start to any net zero project by minimizing energy demand. 15″ thick double stud walls (R-60) filled with eco-friendly cellulose insulation. 24″ deep TJI’s at 24″ o.c. ceiling joists with high density cellulose provide an R-100 cap to the conditioned space with the attic strategically outside of the thermal envelope. In fact the entire home is virtually foam free as eco-friendly material selection was important to the project team. The few trees that had to be removed from the house footprint, were milled and kiln dried locally and used for all the hardwood flooring throughout and many of the cabinet faces.
The home achieved it’s goals of being “Net Zero”; a certified Passive House while earning LEED’s highest rating of a Platinum level for sustainability and eco-friendliness.
Give us success stories as well as lessons learned
The home’s strategic and well planned design and detailing has achieved multiple certifications: It’s the state of Michigan’s first GHI Zero Energy Certified, PHIUS Certified Passive House + with PHIUS Source Zero Certification. It also achieved LEED’s highest rating of a Platinum level for sustainability and eco-friendliness. PH Certification includes: Energy Star Certification; EPA’s Indoor Air Plus Certification and US DOE’s Zero Ready Home Certification. The home was recently awarded the USGBC-SM’s “Innovative Project of the Year” award and is arguably the most energy efficient home in the entire State of Michigan.Some of the unique skills Abueva Builder’s brought to the project include: experience building super-insulated double stud wall assemblies; attention to detail in constructing an air-tight shell (the home achieved an impressive 0.04 CFM50/sq. ft blower door test); an eco-conscious mantra of “no waste”, attempting to use every waste scrap of material in the project and thus the project never needed a dumpster.
Aging In Place: The home is completely barrier free and wheelchair friendly. All living functions can happen on the first floor level: living, dining, sleeping, entertaining, bathing, clothes washing, etc. In the center of the home, the floor is constructed to pop-out to allow the installation of a vertical platform lift to go from first floor to basement garage level, should it ever be needed. Electrics are in place.
Lessons learned include:
• Site selection has a big impact on the architectural design of an energy efficient home. An abundance of trees and a strong site feature of lake views to the north made it challenging on window placement, which prefers facing south. If the site was on the other side of the lake, solar gain orientation and site views of the lake would have been the same.
• The project started out with a detached two car garage with a shed roof loaded with south facing solar panels. At the last minute the owner decided an attached garage would be better, so the house was re-designed to move the garage function to the basement level. We weren’t 100% sure on how air and it’s relative humidity would behave throughout the year in the garage. Exhaust fans and an outside air intake were installed on opposite ends of the garage. A 2″ layer of rigid insulation outside the foundation wall was added. The interior performed fine throughout most of the year, but peak summer months with high RH would effect the interior when the garage door was left open for too long. Lesson learned was to include a central dehumidifier for the basement level garage for those few months.
The exterior finishes are maintenance free
Tell us what is unique or innovative about this project
The most obvious unique element about this particular project is it’s round form. In fact it’s the only round passive house in North America! All previous passive house designs tend to be very “boxy”. Due to the site having wonderful views 360 degrees around, and a home owner who values the spiritual, a round form embodied the spirit of site and home owner. There is a great sense of “flow” walking through the house which also welcomes natural ventilation throughout.The 15″thick double stud wall assembly; 24″ TJI attic floor and first floor framing allowed the use of eco-friendly high density insulation for the mass majority of insulation for the whole project. Foam was avoided as much as possible.
The few trees which had to come down for the project were brought to a local sawmill, cut and dried to be used for all the home’s hardwood flooring needs and be the cabinet door faces, talk about locally sourced materials!
The HVAC uses 1 efficient Mitsubishi ducted mini split system following the passive house philosophy of a 1 conditioned zone. Incorporated for superior fresh air is a Conditioning Energy Recover Ventilator by Build Equinox CERV2 with a unique ground loop heat exchanger. The system is the only one on the market with an ultra-violet light accessory that kills air borne viruses like Covid-19. HVAC, CERV2 and Hybrid hot water systems all use energy efficient heat pump technology.
SOLAR POWER
•12.4 kW array
•Two batteries provide all the home’s power needs including charging of the owners electric vehicle.
Any special thermal envelop, insulation or passive heating & cooling details?
ENVELOPE
• Double stud wall technique w/15″ total cavity depth for super insulation and thermal bridge free construction, using curved plywood plates cut on a CNC machine for accuracy and to reduce material waste.
• Triple pane high performance “tilt and turn” European style windows, assembled in the US exceed code compliant windows for U-value and air-tightness (U=0.16). SHGC changed for maximum efficiency based on each window’s orientation. Quadruple pain high-performance entry doors with a U=0.16 with four layers of gasketing for superior air-tightness for this “snow-belt” project siteINSULATION
Virtually foam free project using high-density cellulose to close the recycling loop and for it’s eco-friendliness and affordability. Used in:
Walls-R-50
Garage ceiling-R-54
Attic floor-R-90
2.5 x’s code levels for “Super-Insulation” high-performance. The fewer Btu’s that escape, the less the furnace has to run to replenish the loss, is the PH mantra.AIR-TIGHTNESS
The builder has experience framing for air-tightness. All plates are set with beads of acoustical sealant to stop air-infiltration. Beads of sealant used at each step, throughout framing process. Tops of walls have a unique 3/4″ plywood layer that cantilevers 3″ to the interior. Ceilings are furred with 1×2 strips @ 24″ o,c. allowing netted high density super-insulation to buldge as needed, yet provide a flat ceiling. Drywall can be sealed to plywood plate making an air-tight transition from walls to ceilings. Air-tight drywall installation techniques used to provide an additional layer of air-tightness from the exterior sheathing layer (strategic redundancy), the project was blower door tested at 0.04 CFM/sq. ft.!
• 1/2″ zip sheathing w/taped seams for walls and taped plywood seams at attic floor.
• All pipe penetrations with rubber gaskets to air-tight sheathing layer. Limited number of holes: All holes approved by architect.THERMAL BRIDGE FREE CONSTRUCTION
• Double stud walls eliminate thermal bridges in walls
• Use of TJI’s for garage ceiling and attic floors stop thermal bridging.
• Framing designed to stop thermal bridging on all parts of thermal envelope
• High performance windows with insulated spacers and multiple air chambers in framePASSIVE HEAT AND COOLING
• Roof overhang calculated to shade south facing windows in the summer perfectly
• The location of the front and rear entries, along with the shape of the curved walls, provides excellent natural ventilation during the warm parts of the year. The curved shape also channels cold winter winds around the house rather than getting hit straight on like most homes.
• Computer modeling determined the best site location for solar gain for the home and solar array.
Any special HVAC systems worth mentioning? Describe them
SUPERIOR INDOOR AIR QUALITY
• The heart of the indoor air quality is the integration of a Conditioning Energy Recovery Ventilator (CERV) from Build Equinox. It has four modes of operation based on monitoring CO2, VOC and temperature in the home for maximum fresh air and energy efficiency. The unit saves over 75% of the outgoing energy in the exhaust air stream.
• A ground source loop heat exchanger uses the grounds temperature to pre-heat or pre-cool the incoming outdoor air. A pex tube was installed around the foundations footing before back-fill. For parts of the year, only the CERV is needed to heat and cool the home!
• The system is the only one on the market with an ultra-violet light accessory that kills air borne viruses like Covid-19.
Explain your water conservation strategies
WATER CONSERVATION
• Dual flush, low flow toilets with unique hand washing stations on top of tanks, used during tank refilling
• Lake is used to store rain water. A pump from lake is used for irrigation
• Rheem Hybrid (heat pump) water heater unit with a hot water loop throughout the home and a hot water boost button located in bathrooms and at the kitchen, to conserve hot water.
Explain your materials & durability strategies
• All exterior finish materials are low to no Maintainance and chosen for longevity and durability: metal roofing and metal wall panels are the majority of the exterior facade.
• Concrete countertops will last the life of the home
Hardwood flooring and cabinet faces fabricated from trees from the site, locally.
Detail the health and indoor environmental quality benefits
• Superior indoor air quality with CO2 and VOC monitoring through the CERV2. The CERV adjusts it’s function based on measured conditions and responds accordingly.
• All natural hardwood flooring used throughout. No carpeting.
• All adhesives and paints used were no or low VOC products
• Water filtration integrated with kitchen sink
No fireplace, no gas appliances
Tell us about your place or location stratagies
“Balance” is the key word to use for location strategies. Having a north facing lake view; south solar gain desired orientation and many trees on the site, one design could not satisfy all of these opposing conditions. Strategic design of the interior “day” spaces and the master bedroom, provided important lake views for all of these rooms in a small house footprint. Second floor spaces took advantage of their higher location for best south facing solar gain orientation. Computer modeling of all the trees on the site, informed best location for the home and solar arrays footprints for maximum solar benefit.
What else should we know?
This project would not come to be if it wasn’t for the values of the client, who wanted to model to the surrounding SW Michigan community that there is a better way to build, that can be better for the planet’s life sustaining biosphere and better for our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. The design and building team have tremendous gratitude for this opportunity and experience.
Are you looking for a job in sustainable housing? Consider the internationally recognized sustainability credential, the LEED Green Associate. You can take our training class here at any time! GHI members get free access to the training and practice exam. Below are several jobs you may be interested in applying for or sharing with a friend. Follow us on LinkedIn at #greenhomejobalert to get real-time job updates over the next month.
Congratulations to our member who passed his LEED Accredited Professional in Homes Exam with high grades!
Alexander used the tried and true method of taking the GHI on-demand courses to pass his green associates and LEED AP and then took the practice exams we offer under our membership.
Alexander is now applying to be a LEED Green Rater Rater.
