The park staff will be keeping careful records of the mileage of the vehicle and energy production of the home. “Actual measurements to date indicates that the home is producing more than twice as much surplus energy as our energy models predicted,” Clifton says.


Clifton says the house could have been built for about $50,000 less, had it not been for the special reinforced foundation required in the volcanic ash soils of the Painted Hills area. The final contracted amount was $278,000. “The remote site added a lot to the cost, as did the expansive volcanic soils. The government’s Design, Bid, Build process also contributed to the higher cost of the project. Private industry, working for private individuals, can always build the same product for less--especially if design-build is the delivery mechanism.


“This house was about dialing the numbers in,” Clifton adds. “If there was a way to crank the energy-use lower, without significantly raising the price, we did it. And we are still dialing.”


 


A solar hot water heater and drain-back system work in tandem with a Bradford White high efficiency 80-gallon storage tank.


The south roof includes ample space for the large solar array—both PV and hot water. According to designer Ted Clifton, builder Kirby Naglehout’s construction crew had never seen a SIP (structural insulated panel) before they began construction of this home. “The construction details I provided, and the few days I spent training them—along with their own good internal quality control—resulted in an outstanding project. It proves that anyone who wants to construct a net-zero-energy home can do it,” Clifton says.


07.2011
37

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76