ZERO-ENERGY CUSTOM HOMES:
Transformations is now building most new homes to a new Zero-Energy Home platform. The energy usage is modeled with the REM/Rate software by an independent third party. The homes are inspected and receive a final as-built certification. These homes are designed to produce as much energy as they consume over a years time. That means, when a year goes by, the electric meter should be at or close to the same place as it was 12 months earlier. More energy is generated in the late spring, summer, and early fall, than is consumed in the home. The electrical energy is sold to the grid through what is called net metering. The electric company gives a credit for the excess energy produced by the home. In the late fall, winter, and early spring the home uses more energy to run the heating system and works off of the credit that was built up in the warmer months. Monthly base charges are still incurred. The energy usage of individual home owners will vary with different consumption patterns.
These homes incorporate solar electric panels (PV) on the roof. The system is usually 5.7 kW in size (or larger for the bigger homes), producing an order of magnitude of 6,800 kilowatt hours per year, depending on shading, solar orientations, and angle of the panels. We are currently using the Evergreen, Suntech, Canadian Solar and SunPower panels on our homes.
The homes are super insulated with 12 inch thick walls, in addition to triple pane glass, and 18 inches of insulation in the attic. Careful attention to air sealing is accomplished. The local Energy Star inspector was not able to measure the tightness with his "blower door" equipment on our first Zero-Energy home. He had to leave the job site, order another "ring" to install in the blower door testing apparatus, and return the next week to test again. We achieved a 175 cubic feet per minute rating at 50 Pascals pressure on that home.
Air source heat pumps are used to both heat and cool most of the homes. The peak heating load on our first Zero-Energy home was so low (10,500 BTUs), that you could heat the home with two 1500 watt hair dryers and an 80 watt light bulb!
Upon request, Transformations installs the E-Monitor (above left) allows households to monitor energy usage and regulate the "carbon footprint" of the household as it shows statistics on a timely basis. This is one of the devices Transformations, Inc. installs to increase the effectiveness of maintaining a Zero-Energy platform.
The porous paver walkway (above right) provides homes with environmentally safe and trendy ways of containing storm surge flows from entering water sources. This protects our vital resource, water, from contamination for both human uses and natural environmental behavior of water systems.
Transformations provides its customers building custom homes with individuality and craftsmanship like the wooden stairs and door below.
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