Blog

Passive House – How Do You (Pre) Heat Yours?

1/26/2015

To pre-heat or not to pre-heat, that is the question! And when it comes to airtight dwellings, it’s a pretty important question. Local climate data dictates the requirement for pre-heating in Passive Houses – if the average temperature is unlikely to drop below 0°C/32°F during the year, you may not be obliged to include pre-heating into your ventilation strategy. Let’s explore the alternatives, from not using a pre-heater at all through to the different types of pre-heaters you can choose from, and

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Zehnder Interview Series: HRV System Installation

1/24/2015

Interviewer: Could you introduce yourself, Micky? Micky Dunegan: My name is Micky Dunegan. I am the Technical Sales Representative for the Southwest region, which includes California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. Interviewer: Why should an HRV be separate from the central HVAC system? There are a number of good reasons to install the HRV system decoupled from a traditional forced air heating system. One of which is your HRV system should be designed to ventilate at precise ventilation rates based on the ventilation

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Net-Zero Living in a High-Performance Home

1/19/2015

Greater energy independence, freedom from fluctuating energy prices, and environmentally-friendly living are alluring concepts that motivated my family to examine our housing and our lifestyle. We recently purchased a high-performance home and installed a solar system, making our home net zero. We now produce as much power as we use over the course of a year. To realize the dream of a net zero home, we bought a super efficient home at Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage, a 36-unit multigenerational community in Midcoast

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4 Common Causes of Indoor Air Quality Issues

1/13/2015

A number of pollutants commonly found in buildings may have an impact on the health of occupants. The quantities of these indoor air pollutants may vary widely, and this variation affects the level of risk of each pollutant to the occupants’ health. While there are guidelines in place to govern what quantities are acceptable in homes and businesses, there is still much research to be done to determine at exactly what point these pollutants begin to threaten health. However, it is helpful

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Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) vs Exhaust-Only Ventilation

1/12/2015

What are some of the advantages of a balanced heat recovery ventilation strategy over an exhaust-only ventilation strategy? Micky Dunegan, Zehnder Southwest Technical Sales Representative: If you’re going to build a home with a tight building envelope with minimal infiltration and exfiltration, you need a ventilation strategy or the indoor air quality will suffer. When you are using exhaust-only ventilation (bath fans), you are unnecessarily exhausting heating or cooling and you don’t know where the make-up air is coming from. The makeup air

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Living Building Challenge Certification 101

1/6/2015

The Living Building Challenge (LBC) is a rigorous building certification program that seeks to inspire advanced levels of sustainability. It’s overseen by the International Living Future Institute. During the certification process, project teams also have access to a wealth of information, support, and advocacy tools to guide the design and construction process toward peak aesthetics and performance. LBC Performance Categories The Living Building Challenge is predicated on seven performance categories, referred to as Petals. The seven Petals are Place, Energy, Water, Materials, Health &

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2014 Green Builder Magazine Home of the Year Awards

12/31/2014

For seven years, Green Builder Magazine has awarded a distinct collection of honors to homes around the United States. These homes have utilized some of the latest practices in technology and tradition. The 7th Annual Home of the Year Awards judging was performed through an online process, and judges looked at unique elements of green building for each category. These elements included green building certification, HERS performance, and overall excellence in the green building arena. Home of the Year Winners Nine U.S. homes were honored

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Why Have an HRV System Commissioned?

12/29/2014

After the installation of a heat recovery ventilator (HRV), home and building owners may overlook the importance of commissioning their system. Commissioning an HRV system can make a world of difference when it comes to ensuring that the system is fully functional, effective, and performing up to standards. Furthermore, commissioning can help reduce maintenance and operating costs, improve comfort, and extend equipment life. Home and building owners who want to ensure optimal performance from their system should have it commissioned

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River Falls Eco-Village Recognized by Green Builder Magazine

12/28/2014

St Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity’s River Falls Eco-Village was chosen by Green Builder, a leading sustainable construction magazine, as a finalist in the magazine’s annual Green Builder Home of the Year Competition. Contestants in the Green Builder competition must demonstrate some of the most advanced sustainable home building efforts. This project is part of Habitat for Humanity’s ongoing efforts to create high-performance, sustainable and affordable homes. River Falls Eco-Village The eco-friendly village was erected by the St. Croix Habitat for Humanity in

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Zehnder Interview Series: Aubrey Gewehr, Technical Sales Engineer

12/25/2014

Interviewer: Could you introduce yourself, Aubrey? Aubrey Gewehr: My name is Aubrey Gewehr. I’m the Northeast Technical Sales Engineer for Zehnder America. I am a licensed mechanical engineer with a background in HVAC consulting work. Interviewer: What kind of green building trends are you seeing in the HVAC industry? Aubrey Gewehr: All kinds of exciting things are going on. Specifically to HVAC, we’re seeing more and more whole-house balanced ventilation systems being included and most of those are HRVs or ERVs. As buildings get air-tight,

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