DOE Tour of Zero: The Candlewood Hills Rebuild by BPC Green Builders
Photos
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BPC Green Builders built this certified U.S. DOE Zero Energy Ready Home overlooking Candlewood Lake in New Fairfield, Connecticut.
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This 3,052-square-foot lakeside home is expected to save its homeowners nearly $3,000 a year in utility costs compared to a home built to code.
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The water-saving landscaping design uses native, drought-tolerant plants that are irrigated using rainwater stored in the home’s 1,000- and 750-gallon outdoor cisterns.
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Under the home’s fiber cement siding is a combination of house wrap, furring strips, and plywood sheathing that work to direct water away from the home to achieve a complete dry-by-design construction.
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Certified low-/no-VOC paints and finishes help the home meet the requirements of the EPA’s Indoor airPLUS program and provide a healthier indoor environment.
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High-efficiency appliances in the kitchen include an ENERGY STAR-rated dishwasher and refrigerator.
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Dilution of contaminants is provided with an exhaust fan over the induction cooktop and a professionally installed balanced fresh air system that provides enhanced efficiency and comfort by exchanging heat and moisture between incoming and outgoing air.
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The home’s lighting plan incorporates natural daylight and advanced solid-state lighting technology, which is operated by controls to mimic the changes in intensity and color of natural daylight.
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The home’s ultra-efficient comfort equipment includes a radiant floor heating system for the first floor and an ultra-efficient heat pump for the second floor.
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Sunlight pours into every room of the natural daylight home.
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The double-wall thermal blanket construction and ultra-efficient triple-pane windows help maintain comfortable temperatures year-round and block outdoor noise.
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Certified low-/no-VOC paints and finishes help maintain good indoor air quality in the tightly constructed home.
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Water-saving EPA WaterSense-certified plumbing fixtures are provided in the handicapped-accessible bathrooms.
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Balanced fresh air systems were installed in each of the bathrooms to pull stale air out while fresh air is brought in through a high-capture filter.
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BPC Green worked with the homeowners to repurpose materials from an already-existing bungalow on the site, including cabinets, sinks, flooring, door handles and hardware, and a cast iron whirlpool bathtub.
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In this natural daylight home, every room and hallway has a window or solar tube installed for access to sunlight.
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Light tubes are installed in hallways and closets to bring natural daylight into areas that may or may not have windows.
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Energy-saving advanced solid-state lighting technology was incorporated into the home’s complex lighting scheme designed by the homeowner, who is also a professional lighting designer. The lighting design includes 35 different lighting zones; however, all of the dimmers and switches are consolidated into a handful of controllers to reduce the number of switchplates that line the walls.
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A high-efficiency propane boiler with a 40-gallon tank provides hot water for the radiant floor heat as well as domestic hot water.
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On-demand hot water plumbing with a compact plumbing design saves water and energy by keeping all of the hot water uses near the boiler, located in a main floor utility room.
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An ultra-efficient heat pump (9.2 HSPF/18.8 SEER) provides heating and cooling to the second floor. The heat pump’s air handler interior comfort delivery system also distributes clean air from the balanced fresh air system, which incorporates high-capture filtration technology.
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Just in case the homeowners find themselves low on water during the dry summer months, they can tap into their 400-gallon water storage tank, which is filled with clean drinking water.
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The double-wall thermal blanket is 9.5-inch-thick and filled with blown-in cellulose wall insulation for an ultra-efficient wall that also enhances comfort and quiet.
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Because the home was built on an old existing foundation, 4 inches of rigid foam insulation was placed over the existing slab and then covered with radiant floor tubing buried in an additional 2 inches of gypcrete to form a complete enhanced comfort foundation insulation system.
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The home has high-efficiency foundation insulation including 4 inches of rigid foam insulation placed between the old existing slab and the new gypcrete floor. In addition, 3 inches of rigid foam were placed along the exterior edge of the slab to prevent significant heat losses that can occur there.
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“We don’t hear anyone’s weed wackers on weekend mornings.”
"This will be our retirement home. Our goals were to have the tightest envelope and most energy-efficient systems for the long run. This house is also very comfortable; that is the greatest thing about it. It’s silent. We have triple glazing. We don’t hear anyone’s weed wackers on weekend mornings."
– BPC Green Builder homeowner