Near Zero Green Homes

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A Net-Zero Townhouse in Oakland

Feb 18, 2010 | Oakland, California

Not many projects achieve HERS 0, especially on a small urban infill site. But that's the score achieved by the Lancaster Live/Work Townhome, a recently completed (Fall 2009) project in Oakland, Calif.

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vernacular design is functional and attractive

Energy Comes from the Sun, Wind, and Earth in This Vermont LEED Platinum Home

Mar 23, 2009 | Charlotte, Vermont

Multiple renewable-energy sources help a Vermont home built with more or less conventional methods reach net-zero-energy use

To build a house with no carbon emissions and zero-net-energy use, the owners of this rural home in Vermont employed a strategy embracing alternative energy sources, unusually high insulation values, and conscientious fabrication.

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The First U.S. Passive House Shows That Energy Efficiency Can Be Affordable

Mar 2, 2009 | Urbana, Illinois

Relatively Small Investments Can Add up to Big Gains with the Right Design Strategies

With R-60 insulation and a south-facing wall punctuated by triple-glazed windows, this PassivhausA residential building construction standard requiring very low levels of air leakage, very high levels of insulation, and windows with a very low U-factor. Developed in the early 1990s by Bo Adamson and Wolfgang Feist, the standard is now promoted by the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany. To meet the standard, a home must have an infiltration rate no greater than 0.60 AC/H @ 50 pascals, a maximum annual heating energy use of 15 kWh per square meter (4,755 Btu per square foot), a maximum annual cooling energy use of 15 kWh per square meter (1.39 kWh per square foot), and maximum source energy use for all purposes of 120 kWh per square meter (11.1 kWh per square foot). The standard recommends, but does not require, a maximum design heating load of 10 W per square meter and windows with a maximum U-factor of 0.14. The Passivhaus standard was developed for buildings in central and northern Europe; efforts are underway to clarify the best techniques to achieve the standard for buildings in hot climates. home stays comfortable during cold Illinois winters with a heater the size of a hair dryer.

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Typical Home Thrives on Deep Energy Upgrades

Feb 6, 2009 | Harriman, Tennessee

Creating at least as much energy as it consumes, this 1970s ranch on a lake shore in Tennessee resembles most other Middle American homes, which is a good thing. It is proof that you can work with what you have, don’t have to be fancy or complicated, and can accomplish a lot.