Philgreen Construction built this 2,296-square-foot production home in Fort Collins, Colorado, to the high performance criteria of the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program.
The stained concrete floors are moisture-resistant and low maintenance for the homeowner, and reduce installation costs for the production home builder.
Advanced technology LED lighting, ENERGY STAR ceiling fans, and efficient double-pane, vinyl-framed, low-e, argon-filled windows add to energy savings.
A ground-source heat pump (3.8 COP, 18.7 EER) efficiently heats and cools the home.
A heat pump water heater provides water to the WaterSense-qualifying plumbing fixtures.
The home includes an 8.48-kW photoelectric system with inverter that provides more than enough solar energy to power the house.
The home includes a studio apartment over the alley-loaded garage, increasing density in this urban renewal district in Fort Collins.
Two inches (R-10) of closed-cell spray foam cover the ground beneath the first-floor slab, while R-10 of rigid EPS foam wraps the slab edge.
The walls were constructed with 2-by-4s on 2-by-6 top and bottom plates, which allowed space to wrap the blown fiberglass insulation around the studs to effectively stop thermal bridging in the walls.
The coated OSB sheathing is taped at the seams to form a continuous air and moisture barrier behind the engineered wood siding.
“We are always comfortable with little in the way of temperature adjustment. It is also very quiet and efficient.”
– Homeowner
“We have been involved in remodeling over 40 homes, many built more than 100 years ago. In those houses, energy conservation was difficult –- poor insulation, leaky windows, dated heating systems (which were often loud and dirty). We find that in our Revive house, we are always comfortable with little in the way of temperature adjustment. It is also very quiet and efficient.”
– Homeowner
