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In the next of our series, Five of the World's Greenest Homes, check out Karuna House in Portland, Oregon that was recently completed and hopes to attain three different levels of high performance building standards:
- Passive House standards
- LEED Platinum
- Minergie Platinum (A swiss label for energy consumption. This house is the first of it's kind in the U.S.)
Designed by Holst Architecture this incredible home has been a case study providing valuable lessons by looking at the overlaps, similarities, and differences between the above building standards. The published findings can be seen on Hammer and Hand's website.
All aspects of this home have sustainability in mind. From the insulated foundation, the sealed building envelope (that creates a breathable yet water and airtight enclosure), to site energy generation which will likely bring the home over time to net zero!
4583 Anhalt, Kelowna
Right here in Kelowna's Lower Mission neighbourhood there's a house being built with high performance building standards! Local architect, Hugh Bitz re-used the old home on the property by moving it onto a new and insulated foundation and then added new windows to increase heating/cooling efficiency. The new home is being built on the subdivided lot. Certain things were considered to maximize use of solar energy.
1) Window's - The windows were placed to capture as much of the sun's solar energy. The largest windows face south and there are overhangs that will help shade the same windows in the heat of the summer and will allow all the sun to come through when the sun is lower in the winter.
2) Thermal Mass - The flooring on the main floor is slab on-grade concrete with radiant floor heat serviced by a hi-efficiency boiler. Concrete will retain the heat of the sun keeping toes warm year round.
3) High efficiency boiler - Besides heating, the boiler provides on-demand hot water that saves on the cost a hot water tank as well as the cost of heating and storing that water.
4) Heat Recovery Ventilator - This system takes warm 'used' air (i.e. from the bathroom or kitchen) and uses that energy to preheat fresh cool air coming into the house which can then be heated further by the radiant floor system. This radiant heat starts at the floor and creates more thermal mass as the heat rises through your furniture and other objects.
Check out this graphic that shows how it all works together! We will be following the progress of Hugh's house so be sure to check back next month for an update on interior finishings and a breakdown of the costs savings! Hugh can be reached at 250-878-5744 or [email protected].
Last month's feature home can be found here with more pictures: 5 WORLD'S GREENEST HOMES .
If you're thinking of buying or selling your Kelowna real estate, give Paige Guernsey a call on her direct line at 250-862-6464. Ranked globally for sales year after year, Paige will be able to help you negotiate the road to successful home ownership!
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
