RH Irving Homebuilders: the technology of a superinsulated house
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- Опубликовано: 22 авг 2024
- Bob Irving of RH Irving Homebuilders takes us on a tour of an unfinished superinsulated house with an in-depth discussion of the design concepts and technology used to achieve an energy efficient, affordable and comfortable home. For more information visit Http://rhirvinghomebui...
HRV units are really way more important than most people think. You get a constant supply of fresh air.
fantastic illustration in half the time it takes for others to present a fraction of information. I only hope that building industry will standardize on some of these ideas so homes are built right from ground up day 1.
Well said.
Yes and No. One of the keys in building a "Net Zero Ready, or "Pretty Good House" or even a "Passive House"** is that its must be air tight. The national code is 3.0 ACH@50 Pascals; "Passive House" calls for .6. (6-10 ACH@50p or higher is a drafty uncomfortable house.). So it needs to be much tighter than a typically "we'll be sloppy and let the house breath" type house. Every house needs fresh air for our health. So in these houses, we need to install "Balanced Ventilation" which brings the same amount of fresh air as the amount being exhausted. So they are designed to work with that added air flow. Remember - every house has air coming in, wanted or not. It does add cost! But it's more important that we can breath!!! Cost depends on the size of the house. There are "LUNOS" style through the wall units, about $2500 for one pair, or a Heat Recovery or Energy Recovery Ventilation system which cost +/- $4000 & up. Almost everyone I've built for comments on the air quality and how nice it is to be breathing fresh air. You also have the option of filtering air for anyone with athsma or other breathing issues.
You may have heard of "exhaust only" ventilation, where you simply leave the bath fan running all the time. But where is the "fresh air" actually coming from? Can you filter that air? I tried that years ago; people shut off the fan, hence it is not longer venting.
The question of affordability is huge, but a lot of builders are working on ways to get cost down. That has not been my primary goal - my goal was seeing if they worked as they said they would; I've built about two dozen and they absolutely do. Now, I'm transitioning to look at ways to make them more affordable. But whatever the method is, it must include balanced ventilation! Anyway, with solar panels you CAN have -0- electric bills and -0- heating bills forever; your cost savings over time more than make up for all the added costs.
one other factor is that the HRV's we use have ECM motors - a new type of electric motor which is more efficient and less expensive to run; the HRV only has two moving parts - two 6" fans - and it runs on Low Speed 24/7.
**NZR & PGH are both modified versions of Passive House; trying to get to a more affordable level.
This vid is nearly 6 years old and I'd like to see where the changes to his building practices with the advancements in knowledge, technology and materials. For instance, it's considered best to insulate the OUTSIDE of concrete basement walls because of how it fights dampness/moisture wicking in addition to heat loss. If you're still out there, Mr. Irving, will you give us an update?
I second that! Also, I know this is a tall order, but I would love to know how this house really performed.
In the past ten years we built about 16+ double wall houses - all essentially similar to this one - except the roof. This house has a "hot" roof, meaning without ventilation. We chose to ventilate most other roofs, although we have seen no issues with hot roofs. In terms of the wall system - we used it since it is the least expensive and has common details, while exterior foam walls - which I think are superior in many ways - but they have a lot of detailing which if done wrong can be damaging to the structure. Double stud is probably the most common superinsulated wall being built today and they seem pretty "bulletproof" if you get the moisture related details and air tightness correct.
As far as performance, none of our homes are electronically monitored, so I do not have details. I do know that most of our clients - not all - have installed solar and are paying the minimum charge (typically under $20) for "electron" delivery each month, and nothing for the actual electricity beyond the cost of the panels. Everyone we've built for or upgraded continues to be pleased with their homes, and there are no problematic issues that I've heard about. (and I usually hear if there is a problem).
My takeaway is that they are all on the same page as Mike in his 30 minute video on my website. The houses work, they are unusually comfortable, and the fresh air ventilation just adds to that. I continue to wonder why all houses aren't built like this?
Some of the changes are in American manufacturing. Tilt Turn windows are now made in the US, although most use European parts and plastic. There are American made thru-wall heat recovery ventilators, and more choices including readily available rock wool batts. We're using a peel and stick permeable membrane on the exterior of our next house - the one we'll be using is Swiss, but should work better than taping seams. There are no changes that affect the basic Passive House design ideas.
One exciting development is that a Maine builder is refurbishing an abandoned paper mill in Maine to manufacture wood based exterior insulation. At this point we're importing brands like "Gutex" - google it - water resistant & locally made with renewable materials. This is where we're heading.
@@robertirving6273 Thanks for the update!
Appreciate the presentation and an actual tour of the house so it's not just words but a visual as well.
Clearly explained & very professionally presented . . . . Really good job . Thank you .
Wow, what an impressive work. I would love for you guys to build my next house. I know some of the people talked to you about No Fossil fuel and I can relate to your knowledge. My wife's grandparents reside in the northern part of the United States, they use both indoor and outdoor wood fire furness to heat water radian that they've installed in the floors of their house. They also use the furness on many other things such as cooking or boiling hot water for baths, etc. They also installed large solar grid where they are able to have electricity for their daily necessities. So keep up the great work and for those who doesn't understand his intentions please leave.
With a 10" double wall, you lose 4-1/2" of interior space on each exterior wall, so the in pictured house it would be about 60-70 SF. The heat exchanger takes up 3-6 SF- typically hanging in your basement. However, you gain the space from where the oil tank used to be, the furnace itself and the ductwork, so it's probably a wash or net gain. Or, if compared to hot water heat, you also gain the space of the baseboard heating units which disrupt furniture placement.
That amount of lost space is inconsequential, a small price to pay for a far superior wall assembly. Most American homes are gratuitously large anyway. A few less sqft is no big deal.
Thank you very much
House will be very tight and efficient with the heat pumps. On the downside, in a very tight house like that using spray foam all over will create a long term toxic fume exposure that will end up causing sickness and death to the owners. So, low energy but a toxic death trap imo
There is zero proof that CCSF kills, but it does have a high "global warming factor". We use dense packed celluose - essentially ground up newsprint (with no printing) with borax added. Recycled and very effective.
thanks for a GREAT presentation! it's "densely packed" with useful information :D
Very well done 👍
If you're going to use foam insulation (polyisocyanurate compound) then a masonry wall is far easier and gives you almost no thermal bridging. Passive design is more suited to masonry due to the inherent thermal mass.
We must consider the "GWF" or "Global Warming Factor" since the source of our climate issues are directly related to putting too much carbon in the atmosphere. Foams (which we all use even in mini amounts) generally have a high carbon footprint so we use as little as we can. The other other high carbon footprint material is concrete, which we also use. So the way forward is learning how to do without both products.
What is your opinion on external insulation such as Zip-R (eg 2 inch) in addition to internal insulation?
I’ve wondered this too. I’m still a bit iffy on how that foam between the studs and structural sheathing affects the integrity. I’m sure a half inch or inch is fine, but there’s some really thick options.
I like exterior insulation. Keeping ALL of the house, including framing, is ideal. We chose double stud simply because the materials are less expensive and require less labor. Exterior insulation is also more complicated - too little (under 2” in New England) and you risk serious condensation in the walls leading to mold. The wall MUST - MUST be able to dry to at least one side. Say you have a house with 1” foil faced On the outside in a cold climate, and 6” of Fiberglas covered with poly in the walls. Add a leak in the exterior flashing - the fiberglass gets wet; cannot dry to the outside due to foul faced insulation, can’t dry to the inside cause of the poly, result: rotting walls & mold. (Remember the mold problems of the ‘80’s & ‘90’s?). Disaster. So it’s much more complicated than building a double stud wall designed to breath to inside AND outside.
What was the total cost per square foot did this project take? Very impressive. Thank you for sharing
thank you
2 questions: with all that insulation under the concrete, why not just frame a floor, or use 2 x4 straps and plywood?
2. did you put the walls on 16" centers because there'd be too much sag on the fiberglass netting?
Great video, by the way
A framed floor over a crawl spaces adds cost over an insulated concrete floor, and with a wood floor, you need some type of basement anyway. Some builders are experimenting with plywood over foam and eliminating the concrete.
16" stud centers vs 24" - 1)more common to most builders and 2)24" centers requires 5/8 drywall.
Robert,
How tight are those single hung windows? I have always thought casements were better for air tightness. What was the overall ACH in this house?
Also what was the brand of that particular ERV? (Or HRV?)
Thanks!
The house came in around .8 or .9ACH50. Most decent quality windows are usually pretty tight, at least when new. Casements have a better reputation for tightness, but it'll rain in if they are open when it rains. Double hung windows, like these are less likely to do that, and many people around here like them because it's the traditional 'look". The best windows by far, are Tilt Turns. We had to buy them from Europe when we started using them, but last I checked there are at least nine or ten American window companies making them on the east coast and in Chicago; probably more now. This was a Fantech HRV. We later switched to Venmar which was bought out by Broan, so we've been using the Broan units lately.
@@robertirving6273 Robert Irving Thanks for the help. I'll look into Tilt Turn windows. I'm finding through testing that the vinyl sliders I'm using leak about 0.2 ACH per window. So getting an overall 1ACH is impossible.
That's for the info on the HRV. I was using the Panasonic ERV, and I was thinking there might be some better options out there.
@@wjthehomebuilder Hi WJ: The issue with sliding door is that the door rubs against the seal as it opens and closes, so it wears out; essentially by design. Always better to have the door close into the gasket, so a hinged door is usually a better seal. There are high end sliders that have better gaskets, but still have the basic problem. The best are the "lift and slide" where a mechanism lifts the door as it opens, so, like a hinged door, it closes into the gaskets. Best/tightest solution for a regular house is a 6'0 hinged door with the hinged side opening against the fixed pane or against the wall.
Can you please clarify what is used as the thermal break on the bottom slab where it meets the footing? Under the slab you have XPS foam, but is that also used in between the slab and footing or is just the air barrier sheathing, which comes all the way down from the roof, the thermal break? If it's XPS foam, will it not compress with the weight of the house?
We typically use EPS, or expanded polystyrene - the white, generic "coffee cup" foam. It is made in various densities, but we've always used the basic - Type 1. (XPS is extruded polystyrene - and made as a branded foam, Dow's Styrofoam being the best known.) The manufacture of XPS releases a lot of bad greenhouse gases; EPS releases the least of all the foams. Whatever compression happens, happens during the pour, it never moves afterward. But since the concrete is spread out, the actual lbs per sq foot is always quite small. You may want a high density in a garage or someplace with a higher point load.
In terms of the thermal break, we typically put our top 2" layer of foam (we use a minimum of 4" - R16 in unfinished basements and 6"- R24 in living areas) on the top of the footing, and put in a vertical 2" piece adjacent on the wall, so the slab has a minimum R8 thermal break on the sides and edges.
Generic polystyrene is also hard to find. It's very inexpensive and not usually stocked at lumber yards or big box stores, but is is available at commercial roofing suppliers, since it's often used on commercial roofs. I paid $12.50 a sheet for my last order of 4x8x2".
What do you think about three layer rammed earth walls where exterior layer is earth or cement, middle is insulator and then inner wall is earth again? Because I do not see the point in making outer third layer. Just build a concrete wall and then insulate it from outside with Styrofoam
I'm not that familiar with "rammed earth" walls - which are somewhat common in the Southwest and apparently work well & do not contain concrete. Very low "carbon footprint". Cement, on the other hand, has a very high "carbon footprint' due to all the fossil fuels that go into making it. Likewise, Styrofoam - extruded polystyrene - has the highest "carbon footprint" of all the common foams due to the blowing agent used. The other issue with exterior foam is that insects and rodents love it - not to eat, but very easy to tunnel through. I've seen Styro which looks like Swiss cheese & therefore isn't insulating any more. I've come to believe foam goes on the inside of the foundation where it is inaccessible to chewing critters. And concrete is an excellent material for exterior use does not need to be covered and lasts a very long time.
Outstanding and very informative! Have you done anything similar for a southern climate? The minisplits can cool too. Would you use as much insulation? What about moisture issues in NC?
Sorry, we've only built in New Hampshire. I can't tell you the details of building in NC, but there are differences with the insulation amounts and vapor barier placements, and some other things. You can find a great deal of info on www.GreenBuildingAdvisor.com, a website owned by Taunton Press which specializes in high performnance building. There is also a great, informative book that will give you tons of information and hundreds of useful details, by Joe Lstiburek, the principal at Building Science.com, and one of the most knowledgeable buidling scientists in the country: BUILDER'S GUIDE TO MIXED-HUMID CLIMATES. They must be out of print as they're pretty expensive online, but available as a downloadable pdf on the website: Buildingscience.com. I have the Cold Climate version and it is invaluable. Well worth the $45, but look for cheaper verisons online or at used bookstores.
Robert Irving ‘thank you
I thought rain-shield was supposed to be installed vertically. Is that a corrugated type wrap you installed behind the horizontal furring strips?
It is commonly installed vertically, but it can be installed horizontally as we did here, in order to install shingles. There is some concern about water sitting on the strapping, but considering that 1)all the seams of the underlying ZIP sheathing are taped, 2)we installed a drainage plane house wrap which has tiny channels designed to channel water down and out, 3)we use rough pine strapping which allows space between the strapping and the sheathing,, 4)the shingles are triple lapped. A rain screen is designed to allow air movement to promote drying o the back of the siding, thereby allowing the siding to hold paint, and extend it's life; in common use there should be very little liquid water there except for leaks. If you're designing for a gapped, or a shiplap siding (designed to leak) where you need horizontal strapping, or if there is a larger chance of water getting in, then use two layers of strapping. vertical and horizontal).
Thanks for responding. We are beginning the process of building in Maine. I love your ideas. Thanks for posting!
glad to help!
Doesn't the constant use of the HRV negate or decrease energy savings?
Can only imagine what all the extras cost at today's prices.
Doesn't this increase in construction costs work to make housing unaffordable for a majority of people?
Can you put a lazer thermometer on the walls to check the settling of the celulose insulation ,I had to correct this problem on a 14’ wall that settled 2’ after a few years .
Its not clear to me that a thermometer would tell you; it might. But the best way is with a thermal scan which would give you an instant detailed reading. Suggest you call the original insulator & have him do it & either walk around with him or have him show you the photos of the scans.
Concrete (Normally Dry)
Concrete
Type Denisty
(lbs/ c.f.) Per Inch Thickness of Concrete
2 4 6 8 10 12
Insulating
Lightweight 20 1.43 2.86 5.72 8.58 11.44 14.3 17.16
30** 1 2 4 6 8 10 12
40 0.83 1.66 3.32 4.98 6.64 8.3 9.96
50 0.67 1.34 2.68 4.02 5.36 6.7 8.04
60 0.52 0.04 2.08 3.12 4.16 5.2 6.24
70 0.45 0.9 1.8 2.7 3.6 4.5 5.5
Structural
Lightweight 80 0.37 0.74 1.48 2.22 2.96 3.7 4.44
90 0.3 0.6 1.2 1.8 2.4 3 3.6
100 0.24 0.48 0.96 1.44 1.92 2.4 2.88
110 0.19 0.38 0.76 1.13 1.51 1.89 2.27
120 0.14 0.28 0.57 0.86 1.14 1.43 1.71
Normal-
Weight 130 0.11 0.22 0.43 0.65 0.87 1.09 1.31
140 0.083 0.16 0.33 0.5 0.67 0.83 1
145*** 0.075 0.15 0.3 0.45 0.6 0.75 0.9
150 0.065 0.13 0.26 0.39 0.52 0.65 0.78
Conductivity, (k), Btu in./hr. sq. ft. ·F R(l/k)
NOTE: Typical increases in conductivity and density, from the PCA Development Bulletin D114. General Relation of Heat Flow Factors to the Density of Concrete.
Conductivity
I'm in Edmonton. Far colder winters. Why didn't you use the same trusses in the walls as in the roof for R-62?
Exactly! One of the keys to Passive House building is to match the building to the climate, so a colder climate means modifying your choices. But it needs to be calculated; one can't simply change a few numbers randomly. You might want more insulation below your floor, or a better window glazing; whatever works best where you are. Always has to include tempering the entire envelope and building tight.
Are you sure that the insulation under the concrete will not get waterlogged?
Over 30% of the walls on standard construction are sold wood, solid wood from drywall to siding. In short, an R of 1.4 x 5 in. = R7
Our foundation drains around the house are 6-10" below the bottom of the foam, so ground water should not reach the foam. But we also avoid using foams in these locations that can get waterlogged, such as polyisocyanurate; for underslab locations we use Expanded Polystyrene - "coffee cup" foam which does not absorb water. Extruded polystyrene, such as Styrofoam, can also be used, but it is made with a different chemical and much worse for the environment.
I didn't see whether you had a filter on the HRV unit
There are filters on the air exchanger inside the unit. MERV filters might require a separate box in the INTAKE line.
WTBleep is a "cape style bungalow"?? A Cape Cod house is one style and a bungalow is another style. Two separate and different styles.
"bungalow" means different things in different places, though in most of the USA, it seems to imply a narrow 1.5 story house with a hip, front gable or side gable roof and usually a front porch. This seems to fit that description for everything but its width. They seem to call almost any small 1 or 1.5 story house a bungalow in the UK, including houses that we would call ranches and capes.
There are no hard and fast rules for what a particular house "looks" like. More importantly, most homes have custom features that may not be common to a specific design. This is not supposed to be a "period" house, so the description describes a house that has features of both. There is a picture on my website probably labeled Hopkinton Cape which is my version of an old fashioned looking reproduction NH cape; that's one of the few "reproduction" designs I've done.
Why the heat pump rather than in floor radiant heat?
1. Heat pumps run on electricity which can be made on site.
2. In a house like this, floors aren’t cold & will be at the same temp as all the other roof surfaces.
3. Radiant floor heats; period. Heat pumps will do cooling, and dehumidifying in addition to heating.
4. In my many years building we’ve used many types of heat - these air source heat pumps - aka minisplits - are the most effective, comfortable , quietest type of heating & air conditioning we’ve ever used. New technology!
I presume dense packed cellulose is more cost effective than other insulations.
Cellulose is a recycled product with good characteristics, and relatively inexpensive to use. It comes in batts, boards, and loose fill which can be blown into a cavity at enough pressure that it will not settle. Excellent product
I thought that insulation was to keep COLD air from moving to the HEATED areas... I did not know HEAT ever moved to COLD... HELP!
Have you ever used a cast iron frying pan? When you put the pan on the heat, the handle gets hot. Why? It's not on the heating element. It's physics; called the 2nd Law Of Thermodynamics, which says basically that Heat goes to Cold. And it's something that most builders do not know, which is a large part of the problem. Actually, insulation keeps the heat inside your house from going OUT, not the other way around. In the summer, outside heat wants to come IN to a colder space.
This was one of the first lessons in my Passive House class, and the most mind boggling; it should change the way you think about how houses work; it certainly did for me. For instance, if your basement is colder than your living room, the heat from your baseboards or heat registers is not exactly warming the air coming up from the basement; the heat is going downstairs to heat up your basement! And outside to heat your yard. Passive Houses teaches that we should consider ALL of the areas of the house that we use, as "living space" and we should insulate it, and we should air seal it. Think of being outside in the winter - you wear layers, with thermal sweaters and a wind breaker. But you don't wear a rubber suit cause all your perspiration would condense inside and you'd be miserable. Houses also need to be air sealed to keep wind out, but they need to breathe as well, so we air seal the walls to make the house tight and use a ventilation system to bring clean air in. We make sure the walls don't trap moisture, which can cause mold, so the wall has to be "moisture permeable" meaning water vapor (not water) can get out from at least one side. There is a lot to consider; houses are more complicated than we think. The other side, though, is that it's not hard or expensive to do it right, and when they are done right (new houses or old houses) they are incredibly comfortable and easy to heat.
The problem with using electricity on the grid is most power plants use fossil fuels to run.
That's been the problem; it's changing fast. The vast majority of new power plants are renewable; coal plants are shutting down as are gas plants, because they cannot compete with renewable energy on a cost basis. A good place to see what is happening is www.geoharvey.com.
Why aren't the exterior walls studs offset? That would reduce the thermal bridge, no?
Offsetting studs is one way to reduce thermal bridging; double studs with an air space - 3" in this case - is another method, used primarily when you want a higher R value than you can get with one an offset stud wall.
There is no thermal bridge because the stud walls are separated by airspace that will later be insulated. Have you ever crossed a bridge where the middle is gone?
Muy bien
I noticed your rainscreen fir strips are running horizontally. Is there a gap for water to run through?
Yes; there are two - we used a rain screen fabric on the wall; those are designed to allow water to flow down Through minute channels in the fabric. Secondly, we used rough pine strapping which is unplaned and rough, so does not prevent the flow of water. The third issue is that with lapped shingles, there are always three layers of siding covering 15” of the wall per layer, meaning there are very few opportunities where water can get in.
Thank you Mr. Irving. We are planning a wall assembly with vertical open joint siding, over rigid foam. Applying 2 layers of crossed strapping was our original plan, but that is a lot of labor. This material you have used could work for us. Open joint requires material, that has ultra - violet protections and black in color; does material you have used, provide that?
The other option ; is to strap the rigid foam and apply 4 x 8 panels, then apply the vertical gapped siding over the panels. I would love to hear your opinion.
@@davidbruce5377 foursevenfive.com sells a black exterior membrane that might work, but it does have lettering. 15# or 30# felt might work also & it's pretty cheap. Or you could paint the strapping. Maybe the membrane with spray paint on lettering? Really, with open gaps you 'll want a bulletproof wall so I'd recommend starting with a double layer of strapping as you planned. If you have a saw mill nearby, you can buy rough 1x3 or 1x4 for much less $$ than box stores or lumber yards which makes it that much more affordable. Stay away from plastics.
@@davidbruce5377 I happened to find the perfect product for your siding at a SIGA distributor yesterday: SIGA Majvest 700 SOB. It's an "acrylic fleece and made expressly for "for facades with permanently open gaps of up to 50mm and a maximum surface share of 40%." Check it out!
Hi Robert, thank you for taking the time to inform me of this product. I decided to not go open joint cladding as the cost is rising on this wall assembly. I will use Blueskin SA, low perm, Tyvek drain-wrap, 3" Dow XPS, and board and batten cladding. I am really struggling with the wall to roof connection. My plan was to have a 2 - 12 pitch shed roof style and not add separate rafter tails. I'd like to have a 3' 6" overhang and sister some 4 x 6 fir to the hidden roof rafter that is fastened to the rainscreen, which is fastened through the XPS into the roof truss. Perhaps if you had a suggestion on this assembly, i'd be happy to hear from you.
He didn’t call that a bungalow, did he?
About that foundation slap...you did foam first, then moisture barrier, then concrete?
Wouldn’t it be better todo moisture barrier first, then foams, then concrete?
actually you cant do that, since the foam will float, leave gaps, and mess everything up.
S12 B the moisture barrier is just a thin plastic film, I don’t see what the difference is
@@4philipp Mosture in a house is a huge issue. The issue here is that when and if water gets above the plastic, it can take years to dry out; when it is below the plastic, it basically doesn't matter if it ever drys out. We want to keep ground water and moisture out of the house, not in it.
Robert Irving I get that. But it’s the reverse principle of application from the walls; so I was wondering.
If the risk of the moisture barrier being punctured is too great, we could do foam-moisture barrier-foam.
And in what applications is a dirt floor desirable for a basement? The root cellar?
@@4philipp I doubt that you want a dirt floor inside a finished house or basement. Perhaps if you have a separate root cellar with an insulated door between that and the larger basement, it would work OK. The specific reasons include keeping ground moisture out of the living area, and increased thermal bridging between the ground and the heated space. There is no reason to sandwich the plastic; it should be in contact with the concrete. Puncturing is an issue of course which is why the ideal is to use a heavy - such as 10 mil or a reinforced plastic - either would be less liable to tear.
Controlling moisture is critical in a tight, well insulated house. On the walls, you want to seal them for air leakage since 97% of water vapor travels through walls on currents of air - so stop the air and you stop most of the moisture flow. Air also comes in through the dirt. Typically moisture drive in the winter in New England is from inside to outside - higher moisture levels to lower levels, but that changes in the floor as the moisture levels in dirt doesn't change as much summers- winters.
While the walls need to be air sealed, they MUST be allowed to breathe to dry out; vapor barriers on both side of the wall prevents that and leads to mold. Double stud without vapor barriers dry to the inside and outside - so they are very safe. Exterior foam prevents drying to the outside so they need to be allowed to dry to the inside.
while very interesting these are the value that will contribute to regulation that will and are drive the cost of the home above that of the common man.
This is essentially a technilogical change, and like any technology, costs will decrease with wider acceptance and production. It's already happening. Here are some examples: One type of balanced ventilation we use had to be imported from Europe a few years ago, but now can be purchased at our local lumber yard or big box stores (like HD). Huber, which makes the green house sheathing you may have seen on new construction, has come out with a new product that includes foam insulation, and eliminates a time consuming step in installing exterior foam. 1/2" thich LED "recessed" lights can be purchased for around $30, replacing the time consuming installation of unweildy and leaky cans. Foam sheets are now widely available from recyclers who sell "used" foam removed from commercial roofs (when the building is reroofed) for a fraction of the cost of new. Triple glazing, which ten years ago was difficult to find from American manufacturers is now in the process of becoming common and less expensive. These are five examples, there are more happening all the time. The more homes are built, the faster manufacturers will make compeditively priced alternatives.
Those modern homes are very dependent on electricity to keep them comfortable.
@@4philipp They are dependent on electricity for everything in the house; yes. Best part is that you can make all the energy you need on your property, at no cost to yourself except for buying the panels. You can also own the batteries that will store extra power until you need it, so you never run out of electricity. What's not to love about this? It'll be a few more years until battery prices come down for home use, but they are being sold worldwide for grid storage, which, combined with wind or solar generation, is beating every other fuel in cost around the world. (2/2020)
Robert Irving I mostly agree with you. However, I find it wrong to depend every day on electricity for basic needs and comfort. The lightbulb isn’t even 150 years old. I prefer a setup where modern conveniences are supplemental and not a necessity
@@4philippI agree it's great when we can be comfortable without adding additional heat, cooling and light, but if your goal is to change the existing environment, you'll need something to power it. I've lived with an antique wood cookstove; and other stoves; with oil lamps and candles, gas and oil and wood heat, as well as electricity and minisplits. I prefer the clean air which is only available with electricity. On the other hand, I love being in a rustic cabin in the quiet north woods (quiet except for the loons in the middle of the night) with an outhouse and no running water, too.
Concrete slab is R-11, that a lot better than wood R-2-4.
Concrete is a poor insulator - an 8" concrete wall is R-1; the same as a single thickness of glass. We used R-16 insulation under this slab.
That is a 8" block which is hollow, solid concrete is much better, but not as good as ploy or fiberglass.
You are leaving out important details, that will confuse amateurs who are looking for the whole truth.
Dona - Please cite your source. This from an industry magazine:
"By Concrete Construction Staff
Q: What is the R-value of a typical 8-inch-thick, cast-in-place, residential basement wall?
A.: The R-value of an uninsulated, 8-inch-thick basement wall built using normal-weight concrete is 1.35, based on data from the 1993 American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers' Handbook. By doubling the thickness of the wall to 16 inches, the R-value only increases by 0.50."
The R value depends on the weight of the concrete. Structural Engineering Volume II lists a typical 3000# concrete as 150#/cf. ArchToolBox.com; lists the R value of 150#/cf concrete at R= .07 per inch = R-.56/8". So these sources range from .6-1.35. Concrete is a poor insulator. Wood is about R-1 per inch.
Why didn't you use foam forms for the basement and house walls, even for roofs. Reference www.quadlock.com/ for one. There are several suppliers. This gives R27 before adding any insulation. Additional foam insulation can be glued to outside if desired. The costs were comparable to lumber framing and not subject to moisture damage. You have the added advantage of reinforced concrete walls which I am sure will withstand hurricane and tornado damage. Blown in insulation will always sag so you lose the R value over time.
I agree that ICFs can be a good method, but for us, there are two reasons we don't use them - my extensive experience with SIPS taught me that ants and termites love the stuff; there are ways to mitigate or stop the damage, but the methods can add costs and are not commonly used. Secondly, I've compared the cost of ICF walls to what we are doing now, (several times) and it is higher, so we're opting for a less expensive method. In some areas or perhaps with some builders the cost can be less. I suspect that a builder with a larger crew than ours could install the ICFs and save money; we subcontract that type of work, so it costs us more.
No fossil fuels?? If electricity is coming from the grid to run heat exchangers, lights, tvs, computers, etc., then you're still consuming fossil fuels. Love the design though, great inspiration.
Thats the first thing I think when someone says "no fossil fuels". What do you think the grid is? I like his ideas on efficiency but unfortunately very he is very naive. You still can't beat natural gas for heat. Oh, and for grid power generation.
In New Hampshire, each electric utility customer can choose the source of their electricity generation (Live Free or Die). So, if the owner of this home chooses 100% renewable energy generation (which is available to EVERY New Hampshire electricity consumer, but costs more than the average NH generation source)... yes, this home can be 100% powered by renewable energy, and completely free of fossil fuel electricity generation.
Also... since a passive house uses 90% less energy for heating/cooling when compared to a typical new-construction home, it will be extremely cost-effective for the homeowner to add a photo-voltaic (PV) system to this passive house.
The best way to make a PV system cost-effective is to make the house energy-efficient.
So, if this homeowner chooses to install a PV system to power his/her house, or if this homeowner chooses to buy his/her electricity from a renewable source... then yes... "no fossil fuels" is possible.
P.S. I think that Mr. Irving meant that the house would require no heating oil, propane, or natural gas for heating. But, my argument above is still true.
@@tptwk Currently, in New Hampshire, natural gas is the least expensive way to heat your home... *IF* you have a very efficient (90%+ efficient) boiler/furnace.
Less than 10% of people in New Hampshire have access to natural gas.
Do you know the second most-efficient way to heat your home? A heat pump. Best if it is a ground-source heat pump, but an air-source heat pump is still better than everything except a high-efficiency natural gas boiler/furnace.
But most people in NH still think that propane or fuel oil, combined with forced hot water is the way to go. They are wrong.
Want data? Here you go...
www.nh.gov/osi/energy/energy-nh/fuel-prices/index.htm
Air source heat pumps, powered by renewable energy is the least expensive way to heat an energy efficient home. We are talking to some folks about building off-grid, but that will be difficult to do without any FF-run generators until batteries are less expensive. You're right that this is not a perfect solution, but we are making progress.
No.
Thumbs up for attention to detail during design phase. Too bad deceptive marketing ruined your sales presentation.
Thumbs down.
waste of lumber
compared to what?
I live in Beaufort South Carolina. We have our home custom made. 3,600sqft. With best practices when I comes to framing. 24 inches on center, vs 16inches on center. Not to mention air and moisture barrier on the outside shell. For insulation closed cell foam for the attic, walls, and encapsulated crawlspace. Air blower test was under 1%. Resulting in having to have a erv system installed. Achieving this. Made this project water,air, and thermo resistant. I know up north building codes are different. That being said, wood has the worst r-values of any insulation. How is that efficient? Using more lumber? Why not encapsulate the entire home wouldn't that be more cost-effective? And energy efficient?
Also. 2inches of closed cell foam to create a thermal bridge.
Sounds like a great house; congratulations! You are in climate zone 3 (or possibly 2); we're in CZ6, so colder and drier. My answer is to agree with your comment - "wood has the worst r-values of any insulation", so it's the last thing you should want penatrating your insulation envelope. That penatration is called "thermal bridging" - where the heat you purchased is escaping through the bridge. We separate the interior wall adjacent to the heat we're adding from the wall adjacent to the cold exterior wall. Extensive testing has been done (by Building Science Corp - details on their website - buildingscience.com - and others) proving that a lot of energy is transferred out that could easily be retained in the building. In your case, you can take the R value of your foam insulation (5"xR6.5x14.5"x8'), but you need to deduct the actual R value of the studs, plates and headers from that number to get the effective R value of the wall - (5.5"xR.5 = R2.75) which probably totals around 15% of your wall. In my wall, we have (3" x R3.7 x 8') of continuous insulation in addition to the 7" in the wall cavities, so the lowest R value in the wall is R37. The lack of thermal bridging does make a huge diffefence in my climate, although it may be overkill in yours. In terms of whether the studs should be 24" OC or 16" OC, you are probably right that fewer studs are OK; we've used 16" to ease the transition to a very different overall system that confuses people anyway. We are discussing moving to a 24" system. And Cellulose insulation - made from unused newsprint, so it's "recycled" - has a far lower GWF than closed cell spray foam which is very high. Cost is another factor - dense packed cellulose is a fraction of the cost of ccsf.
The other answer is that you, like us, are effectively experimenting. I think that within twenty years, we'll know what wall is the "ideal", but we'll never learn if we don't build them. There are thousands of different assemblies being used today; some will be better, more effective, safer and and cheaper than others. We know from the hundreds of double stud homes buit across the country that our system works. You've learned that your system works. Good. Eventually we'll discover issues that we never thought of; that's our role and it all will lead to better homes for everyone at the lowest cost. Thanks for the note & encourage everyone you know to build better as you have done!
I replied before I saw the 2" sheet foam you added to the outside (?). Good move. It's still probably more expensive than necessary for the R value compared to DPC. There are other differences.
We build a "vapor open" wall assembly. You built a vapor closed assembly. Moisture passes through our wall; it cannot pass though yours. I don't know enough about other climates to know if that makes less of a difference in your climate, but in ours, we are still battleing the "mold" epidemic of the '80's and 90's and 2000's where builders built vapor closed systems on 2x6 homes (poly vapor barriers amoung other issues) which leaked and created mold farms - a problem much less likely in a vapor open system with DPC.
Old man, white hair, bald and with...................................a ponytail. A dippy hippy stuck in the sixties and never grew up.
Actually I was never a hippie in the 60's, but I am old with white hair, so you're partially right Lex. But the houses we build are still worth looking at.
@ not fat and only partially bald.
Yes, do forget every thing he said in the video but focus on the superficialities of his appearance. NOW..that is more important. You don't get out of your basement much, do you?