Appropriate Designs

This single family, 1680 square foot home located in North Franklin was designed by Appropriate Designs, also providing the construction management services for the home.  An open floor plan for the public rooms was used to allow deep penetration of day lighting, unimpeded circulation of heated and cooled air, cost containment and to make a smaller house feel roomy.

Orientation and Envelope:

Oriented 14 degrees west of solar south, the roof overhang over the south wall is designed to keep direct sunlight out of the building at noon after June 1st.  While the house does have a whole house AC system, window placement makes the most of prevailing breezes to maximize natural cooling opportunities of the site.  The windows are Bieber wood triple pane units that meet Passive Haus standards for U value, air sealing, SHGC and visual transmittance performance levels.  The glazing is Low E II with argon gas and an R-Value of 7.00.

Insulation and Air Sealing:

• Walls are composed of 10.25" Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) for an overall wall of R-40
• Ceiling/roof is 12.25" SIPS (R-48), plus two inches of rigid foam board insulation mechanically fastened to the top of the roof panels which creates an overall R-Value above 60 for the entire roof assembly

High efficiency envelopes require effective air sealing measures.  Particular attention was paid to sealing all panel joints with sealant caulk and tape on the interior of roof panel joints.  Penetrations in the SIPS panels (electrical boxes and wire chases) were sealed with expandable foam insulation.  Additionally, R-30 blown-in insulation will be installed in the basement ceiling cavity.

Heating, Cooling, and Hot Water:

The geothermal forced air heating and cooling system has been designed and installed by A&B Cooling and Heating Inc.  Two closed loop heat exchangers are being used.  A Geo Spring heat pump was installed as a backup source for domestic hot water for those seasonal periods where the larger system needs assistance.

Ventilation:

A Venmar Duo 1.4ERV unit was coupled with the ductwork to provide mechanically controlled ventilation.  The energy recovery ventilation (ERV) system, with registers in both bathrooms, will provide a source of fresh air with minimal heat loss.

Electrical:

Lighting fixtures will consist of LEDs and CFLs. The appliances in the home will be ENERGY STAR rated.

Renewables:

PV panels remain an option for installation at grade rather than on the structure in the future.