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Zero energy ready homes are coming

energy.gov

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Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#11

Post by TrueSlacker0 »

jabart wrote: post #8
giantg2 wrote: post #2

Interesting. Is there a good consise page detailing the main differences between this and older standards? Stuff like cost and ease of maintenance comparisons?

Things switched from insulating the wall cavity to insulating the outside of the house. Engineers started to factor in the insulation value of a 2x6 compared to the insulation it was next to and the heat loss in cold climates. Same applies for hot climates. Now these homes are being wrapped in insulation on the outside with all joints sealed, then insulated on the inside and essentially pressure tested for air leaks.…

How will I get to experience opening up a wall in the house I have lived in for a decade to find McDonalds trash stuck in the wall instead of insulation?

Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#13

Post by s1artibartfast »

This is a pet issue of mine, having lived in two off grid homes going back to the 80's.

The barriers are not materials, technology, or labor, but purely regulatory.

I could take my current home off permanently grid with solar today for less than 10k but to do so would be illegal.

Permitted grid connected solar costs 5x that and disconnecting from the grid is not permitted.

Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#14

Post by ortusdux »

jabart wrote: post #8
giantg2 wrote: post #2

Interesting. Is there a good consise page detailing the main differences between this and older standards? Stuff like cost and ease of maintenance comparisons?

Things switched from insulating the wall cavity to insulating the outside of the house. Engineers started to factor in the insulation value of a 2x6 compared to the insulation it was next to and the heat loss in cold climates. Same applies for hot climates. Now these homes are being wrapped in insulation on the outside with all joints sealed, then insulated on the inside and essentially pressure tested for air leaks.…

Heat exchangers are a big one, but they are not yet that common in the US. They are used to pre-heat the makeup air. I'm looking into one atm as part of a HVAC upgrade as currently running a bath fan with all the windows closed will draw air down the chimney.

Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#15

Post by Syonyk »

giantg2 wrote: post #2

Interesting. Is there a good consise page detailing the main differences between this and older standards? Stuff like cost and ease of maintenance comparisons?

https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/zero-energy-ready-home... seems to be the main landing page, and it's a bit handwaving...

> A DOE Zero Energy Ready Home is a high-performance home that is so energy efficient that a renewable energy system could offset most or all the home's annual energy use.

"Most or all" and "annual energy use" allow for some massive wiggle room. Annual energy use by who? A family with a couple teenage girls is going to likely use a lot more hot water than a family with a three year old boy.

I can't find any actual concrete details on it, annoyingly. So I have to agree that it's more of a feel-good listing until proven otherwise.

Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#18

Post by oh_sigh »

jabart wrote: post #8
giantg2 wrote: post #2

Interesting. Is there a good consise page detailing the main differences between this and older standards? Stuff like cost and ease of maintenance comparisons?

Things switched from insulating the wall cavity to insulating the outside of the house. Engineers started to factor in the insulation value of a 2x6 compared to the insulation it was next to and the heat loss in cold climates. Same applies for hot climates. Now these homes are being wrapped in insulation on the outside with all joints sealed, then insulated on the inside and essentially pressure tested for air leaks.…

I understand you can just check the pressure during a blower test to see if there are leaks, but how do they actually identify where the leaks are? Go around all over the house with a smoke gun?

Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#19

Post by Syonyk »

dabber21 wrote: post #9

Like a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house ?

No, because those actually work. But they're also tricky to operate properly.

This seems more like "I want you to feel good about your purchase while you're still dependent on external energy inputs."

If you can find details on what it actually requires, please, share, because I've spent the past 15 minutes snoofing around and I sure can't find it.

Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#20

Post by Syonyk »

oh_sigh wrote: post #18
jabart wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Things switched from insulating the wall cavity to insulating the outside of the house. Engineers started to factor in the insulation value of a 2x6 compared to the insulation it was next to and the heat loss in cold climates. Same applies for hot climates. Now these homes are being wrapped in insulation on the outside with all joints sealed, then insulated on the inside and essentially pressure tested for air leaks.…

I understand you can just check the pressure during a blower test to see if there are leaks, but how do they actually identify where the leaks are? Go around all over the house with a smoke gun?

If there's a good thermal difference between interior temperature and exterior temperature, a thermal imager will help catch an awful lot of the leaks.
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