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| Notable Energy Efficiency
Features: |
- Photovoltaic roof tiles
provide 100% of electricity
- Solar thermal system provided
all of domestic hot water and 90% of heat in
radiant floor system
- Back-up heating provided by
pellet bio stove
- Grey water system
- Use of recycled building
materials
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Sungalow
812 La Farge, Louisville, Colorado
Participants:
Architect: Werner Duecker, Chamberlin Architects,
PC
Builder: Dave Kreutzman,
Next Generation Energy
Next Generation Energy took on a huge
challenge to remodel a "miner's house" that was originally
built in 1890. The home was unable to be salvaged, and it
was decided to totally replace the home with the "Sungalow".
The rebuild was designed to fit in aesthetically with the
existing neighborhood, be totally energy efficient, be as
ecologically friendly as possible, as well as to be
user-friendly with regard to the maintenance of all systems
for the home owner. The Sungalow is an excellent example a
home being built with the future of our environment in mind.
It also offers vast possibilities for remodeling projects to
an ecologically healthy home for those people who want to
utilize energy efficiency that is incorporated into this
lovely home.
DESIGN OBJECTIVES
To demonstrate that a basic house plan could be transformed
into a very energy efficient and beautiful home on a small
lot (25 x 125), without the use of complicated systems
approaching net zero energy use utilizing standard building
technologies. Incorporating local materials and appropriate
technologies into the design would not only conserve
resources but would be key to the home's sustain ability.
This placed emphasis on finding good local
materials as well as assessing the availability of renewable
energy sources to provide the home's heating.
RENEWABLE ENERGY STRATEGIES
Solar Electric - 3.85 kW of decorative,
integrated solar roofing tiles collect the sun's energy to
provide the house with its electricity. It is designed to
last for 50 yrs. and beyond while providing 100% of the
home's electricity.
Solar Thermal - A
domestic solar water heating system designed and
manufactured by Next Generation Energy provides for all of
the hot water needs of the home, + 90% of the required heat.
In-Floor Radiant Heat
- Solar heated water running through Pex tubing in an
aluminum clad panel produced with recycled materials. This
system warms the home without the pollution, allergens,
hassle, and noise of a forced air system.
Pellet Bio Stove - For
back-up heat, the living room has an attractive,
multi-fueled Europa 75 pellet BioStove which burns natural
Biomass materials like wood pellets, wood, or corn.
GridPoint Connect Series
- This system tracks how much solar electricity is consumed
and coordinates when to pull energy from the grid or be used
from the stored battery energy. The system provides a backed
up grid tied photovoltaic system interface which provides
the potential to change occupants' behavior with critical
feedback.
Grey Water System -
This is the first residential home in Colorado with an
approved Brac Greywater Recycling System. It works by
sending bath and shower water through a filter and then to
the toilets. Expected water conservation is 30 to 40%.
Building shell and Insulation
- A tight thermal envelope around the home's exterior is
wrapped in insulation made of dual sided foil faced foam
designed to keep energy in or out, depending on the season.
The internal cavity is filled with 20% soy bean based
Icynene spray-in insulation. Locally purchased and recycled
building materials are used throughout the home to eliminate
waste and conserve energy used by not shipping products
across country. The entire exterior, siding and roofing
included, is designed to last a half a century or more with
little or to no maintenance.
Other environmentally friendly
features in the Sungalow:
-
Gorgeous locally mined flagstone
floors that will need little to no maintenance.
-
Thick locally mined Colorado
granite utilized for the kitchen counter tops
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Energy Star kitchen appliances
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Low VOC interior paints
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Aged hickory cabinets recycled from
an old chestnut barn beam originally from Ohio
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Certifiably sustainable Bamboo
stairs and window sills
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Beetle-kill pine from Colorado's
affected forests are used in the front porch
construction and soffit material
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Reused aluminum porch post
(originally shoring jacks)
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Hunter Douglass high efficiency
window coverings throughout
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Use of recycled laminated
composites of smaller dimensional lumber instead of
using old-growth lumber for
support beams.
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The design and construction utilize
natural light as much as possible to minimize use of
artificial light.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The Sungalow has been designed to have little to zero impact
on the environment. 90% of non-renewable energy is replaced,
and the CO2 displaced is equal to? The indoor air quality is
improved due to the fact that there is no duct work to
spread allergens and pollution into the home.
AESTHETICS
This 1,500 square ft. home is located on a 25ft. x 125ft.
lot in Downtown Louisville. The home boasts of many energy
saving features and was built with our earth in mind.
Everything from the house plan with great solar roof access,
to window placement, to materials used was considered in the
final product, while keeping the integrity of the original
neighborhood. Beautiful and energy efficient home that
utilizes several sustainable/renewable features including
solar electric (PV), solar thermal for hot water and radiant
heat, and grey water, as well as recycled and energy
efficient building materials. No detail has been overlooked.
PUBLIC AWARENESS
This Louisville home was featured in the Boulder Solar Home
Tour 2007 and the Denver Tour of Solar & Green built homes
in 2007. There have been several articles placed in local
newspapers including: The Louisville Times, The Daily
Camera, The Denver Post as well as articles in the
magazines; Solar Today and Conservation Magazine. There was
a feature on 9News that aired on June 12th 2007. This home
is publically accessible like any home in downtown
Louisville. There are no plans at this time to have any
additional public showings.
REPLICABILITY
The Sungalow has recently offered several tours and open
houses for professionals in the building and architecture
fields, thus educating those involved in developing our
community. We wanted to inspire architects, home builders
and homeowners to be able to modify a basic house plan
without too much effort into a very energy efficient home.
Individuals can utilize any or all of the energy efficient
and environmentally intelligent amenities. This home is very
user friendly; there is no thick manual or training class to
learn to operate the systems in place. The possibilities are
great for our environment at large as well as the health of
our local economy and environment.
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