Wisdom Way Solar Village: Design, Construction, and Analysis of a Low Energy Community

Abstract

a basement insulated with blown cellulose....................................................... before and after cellulose insulation ............................................................ Unless otherwise noted, all figures were created by the CARB team.vi Benchmark (2007)............................................................................................................................... 13 Table 5. Results of REM/Rate Modeling on Natural Gas Use in Each Home Type......................... * ............................................................................. .............................................................................. 16 Table 9. 12-Month Gas Consumption for Nine Occupied WWSV Homes....................................... Season ................................................. Homes ................................... • Careful site plan so that all homes have solar access (for active and passive systems) List of Tables• Cellulose insulation providing R-40 walls, R-50 ceiling, and R-40 floors• Triple-pane windows• Airtight construction (~0.1 cfm50/ft 2 enclosure area)• Solar water heating systems with tankless, gas, auxiliary heaters• PV systems (2.8 or 3.4kW STC );• 2-4 bedrooms, 1,100-1,700 ft 2 .The design heating loads in the homes were so small that each home is heated by a single, sealed-combustion, natural gas room heater. The cost savings attributed to the simple HVAC systems helped to make possible the tremendous investments in the homes' envelopes. The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) team monitored temperatures and comfort in several homes during the winter of 2009-2010. In the spring of 2011, CARB obtained utility bill information from 13 occupied homes.Because of efficient lights, appliances, and conscientious home occupants, the energy generated by the solar electric systems exceeded the electric energy used in most homes. Most homes, in fact, had an annual net credit from the electric utility. Total natural gas costs averaged $377/yr (for heating, water heating, cooking, and clothes drying). Because of net credits from solar electricity generation, average total energy costs ($337/yr including all utility fees) were even less than average natural gas costs. The highest annual energy bill for all of the evaluated homes was $458; the lowest was $171.