From the category archives:

HVAC

Over-Conditioned: The Super-Sized HVAC Problem

January 29, 2010

Technology, it seems, has given us the opportunity to defy nature’s impact on our lives in all but the most extreme conditions. This is particularly true within the confines of our houses and other buildings. In our homes, the words “climate control” no longer suggest the nefarious plan of a volcano-dwelling, Bond villain, but rather [...]

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Passive House Ventilation Design

January 20, 2010

We thought it would be a good idea to review our new ventilation strategy and design implemented in the recent Passive Project. The ventilation strategy in the 100K House was different than most typical houses and the Passive Project took things a step further. We’ll start with the outline:

Use a very efficient mechanical ventilation system [...]

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LG Art Cool Provides Attractive Ductless Units on a Budget

March 20, 2009

We have been planning on using a supplemental split-ductless or heat-pump HVAC system in the 120K House from day one. These units are very efficient, supply both heating and cooling, and eliminate ductwork that can further reduce efficiency and air quality in standard HVAC systems. The main complaint I have with these units is that [...]

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Increasing our Solar Thermal System vs. Gas Boiler Backup

November 7, 2008

Problem Statement
The high efficiency Munchkin gas boiler is more expensive to install (>$3,500) than budgeted as both a backup to the Schuco Slimline II-80 solar thermal system spec’ed out for domestic hot water and a sole source of heat to our hydronic radiant heating system (more on these mechanicals here). Installing gas service to the [...]

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Marker Time – Energy Efficiency (Utility Costs)

September 24, 2008

Today’s Marker Time is the first in a series of videos that will look at the Energy Efficiency of the 100K House project. The first in this series looks at the utility costs of the 120K House versus that of a similar new construction house built to code and an existing house that is not [...]

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Marker Time – Indoor Air Quality (Ventilation)

September 19, 2008

The second “Marker Time” video covers Indoor Air Quality in a bit more detail. Today we take a look at mechanical ventilation inside the very tight envelope of the 120K House. We cover both local (kitchen & bath) ventilation as well as whole house ventilation in the form of HRV’s (Heat Recovery Ventilator) and ERV’s [...]

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Preliminary Kitchen Ventilation Investigation

July 14, 2008

The task of figuring out exactly what we are going to do for kitchen ventilation has been on the back burner for some time. As ground breaking is getting closer, this needs to be nailed down. Here are our criteria for the kitchen or cooktop ventilation:

Exhaust flow rate that accomplishes 5 kitchen air changes per [...]

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Free Radiant Cooling – A Closer Look

June 10, 2008

Two weeks ago we looked at two solar thermal and radiant heating systems by Radiantec. One of the options that Radiantec offers is a very simple diverter valve that allows the homeowner to run the incoming cold water through the radiant floor prior to reaching the hot water heater and fixtures. The diagram below details [...]

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Alternate Solar Thermal & Radiant Heating Combo Systems

May 27, 2008

In our last post we spoke of a Shuco Slim Line solar thermal heating package that would be used in conjunction with a closed loop radiant loop and a high-efficiency gas boiler to heat the domestic hot water and the radiant loop as needed. This system uses the solar thermal system to preheat only the domestic hot water. The gas boiler then heats all of the radiant system while also acting as a backup for the domestic hot water.

An alternate system is one in which the solar thermal system can heat both the domestic hot water and the radiant loop. A Vermont company, Radiantec…
Radiantec _ SolarOptionI

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New Mechanicals for 100K

May 22, 2008

We have been trying to nail down the mechanical systems to spec out in the house for some time now. We are getting very close, especially after the recommendations from the energy modeling. Our mechanical contractor is having health issues and had to bow out of the project so these may be subject to change [...]

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