5/23/2009 9:26:00 PM YC students build state's
first 'zero-energy' house
Doug Cook/The Daily Courier
Tony Grahame, director of Yavapai College's Residential Building Technology Program, stands next to a photovoltaic solar panel used to power Arizona's first true "zero-net energy" home in Chino Valley. The house generates all the power it uses on-site.
Tony Grahame gets a kick out of pushing environmentally friendly home design to the limits - testing what works and discarding what doesn't to make everything fit into a tidy model.
As the director of Yavapai College's Residential Building Technology Program, Grahame also enjoys teaching folks how to build energy-efficient homes from the latest high-tech construction materials available on the market.
Saturday in Chino Valley, Grahame shared with the public Arizona's, the college's and Habitat for Humanity's first true, certified "zero-net energy" house, a grid-tied residence that generates all the power it uses on-site.
The modest 1,200-square-foot home on Purple Sage Drive in northeast Chino sits on a concrete slab insulated with Styrofoam.
"That's so important because 30 to 50 percent of your heat is lost in the heating season if you have an un-insulated concrete slab," Grahame said.
In addition, 2 inches of rigid foam rests on the inside of the walls to offer a good thermal break so the sun's heat can't penetrate the house.
"On a summer afternoon, when the sun's going down on the west side, if you have stucco on the exterior the sun wants to heat up that siding," Grahame said. "The rigid foam basically reduces heat transfer."
The house also relies primarily on solar energy and gives slightly more back to the grid than it takes away.
It's like stepping inside a time machine to see what "green" living will be all about in the future.
Grahame said he and others at the college have labored on the zero-net energy home concept for the past five years.
Although it costs 3 to 5 percent more to build a zero-net energy "green" home, the return in energy savings compensates for the additional dollars spent.
"With every house that we build, it's always about questioning what worked, what didn't work and where do we need to be," Grahame said. "We're always incorporating new, appropriate technology, materials and systems. It's all been an evolution."
Among other things, the home features a water-managed foundation, an airtight frame, high-performance windows, a heat pump, balanced fresh-air ventilation, a solar-powered hot water heater, photovoltaic panels and Energy Star appliances and lighting.
"The idea is to share information and set a model people can emulate," Grahame said. "You can buy all these products locally."
Robert Bolding, owner of a Prescott-based home inspection company who works as a volunteer building Habitat homes, said he came to see the house because he would like to understand how these types of residences are put together in case he has to inspect one.
He doubles as a general contractor, too, and wants to know whether building a "green" home is worth the investment.
"I think this technology is moving from the East Coast to the West Coast," Bolding said. "Arizona residents may not be using as much solar energy as they could be because electricity is a lot cheaper here."
What one may not know is that the Residential Building Technology program at YC has existed for the past 30 years. It teaches students how to design, manage and build homes with a sustainable design incorporating "green" building practices.
Essentially, a sustainable home has a building envelope with the optimum amount of installation put in properly, airtight barriers for strong indoor air quality, and the right kind of windows that are oriented well in relationship to the sun.
"The objective is always to design and build a house that will use the least amount of energy," Grahame said. "This is all about making a difference in the world around us."
For more information about the Residential Building Technology Program at Yavapai College, call 717-7726 or visit www.yc.edu/rbt.
Posted: Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Article comment by:
praful
We missed the open house to view the Zero Net energy house by a few days. We do plan to build a small house in Precott in the near future and hope to make it as GREEN a house as possible. In 1982 we built a flat panel solar collector on the south side of our home in Lafayette, Indiana. We had an open house for the public. It is still working. It was soon after Reagan administration pulled the plug on solar energy industry. We hope this time building GREEN building becomes common rather than a curiosity. Praful
Posted: Monday, May 25, 2009
Article comment by:
Maveth
Tony: If it's a true zero-net energy house, then why is it tied to the grid at all? Wouldn't the ability to live with modern conveniences completely "off-grid" be a better display of the technology? Also for Steven: 125K for a 1200 sq ft home is way too much money. 80K would be more appropriate, even with the artificially high cost of housing in this area. Hopefully the continuing housing bust will further correct over-priced homes.
Posted: Monday, May 25, 2009
Article comment by:
Tony Grahame
The difference between a 'Zero Net Energy' house and a 'True Zero Net Energy' house is that a 'True Zero Net Energy' provides 100% of all the electricity required to operate the house from the site. The Department of Energy defines a 'Zero Net Energy' house as a house that uses 50% less energy than the Model Energy Code. I certainly recognize that John Wesley Miller is a pioneer in energy efficiency and am aware that he has built two 'Zero Net Energy' homes in Armory Park Del Sol in Tucson,AZ. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they both scored around 17/18 on the HERS index. The house we built scored a -3 on the Hers Index- 'True Zero Net', and uses 100% electricity for all it's energy operating needs.
Posted: Sunday, May 24, 2009
Article comment by:
Steven Ayres
On cost, an important part of the green design process is correct scaling. I talked with Mr Grahame about this house, and he estimates its value at around $125K. It's a Habitat home, relatively small, quite the opposite of the "upscale, elitist" image referred to below, and designed to demonstrate the applicability of the materials and design concepts in more modest homes. If you haven't seen it, try not to prejudge it. The additional 3-5 percent in upfront costs amortizes pretty quickly when your energy costs are near zero.
Posted: Sunday, May 24, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
anyone else live through the destruction of the California Economy? Why should I care? I just add my mark-up and submit my bid -- more money for me. Why should the architect care? More money for him, plus an award. Why should legislators care? "Hey, we're green!" But somewhere there's a taxpayer, what about him or her?
Posted: Sunday, May 24, 2009
Article comment by:
Maveth
I'll be impressed when the "green" people show us ways to build such homes for substantially LESS money. "3 to 5 percent more" in costs does not work for a lot of people who don't have access to the necessary funds. Find ways to build good, energy-efficient houses that cost less. THEN people will do it, and then we will lower energy usage in this country. Until then, this will remain an elitist, up-scale experiment.
Posted: Sunday, May 24, 2009
Article comment by:
Gary
It should be a required part of all new buildings to incorporate green tech and have each commercial building generate at least 50% of its own power, Put it into building approvals.
Posted: Sunday, May 24, 2009
Article comment by:
D. Combs
It's great to see this taught at our local college but John Wesley Miller has been building zero energy homes in Tucson for several years. His infill project in the Armory Park neighborhood downtown is a prime example.
Posted: Sunday, May 24, 2009
Article comment by:
W. Lee Radu
Yes, and there were Solar Contractors HERE in Arizona and Prescott Building Solar and Energy efficient homes for over 30 years too. It's just taken the general public that long to notice. When Reagan became President and Removed the Solar panels on the White House, the United States was the Largest Manufacturer of Solar Panels in the World. Today we're number 4, CHINA is Number 1. Think of where America could have been today if Visionary Leadership toward Energy Independence had been continued and had trumped politics.
Posted: Sunday, May 24, 2009
Article comment by:
Creagan McConnell
Anyone considering building a home should take the time to enroll in the Residential Building Technology Program at Yavapai College. Tony Grahame and staff teach classes that will bring you up to date on techniques and products that will protect the environment as well as providing you savings in energy costs. You will be surprised at the number of simple solutions there are to wasteful building practices and how easy it is to build your home “green”. Renewing one resource is vital to making a difference, renew your mind and learn how you can do your part in reviving our natural resources.
