| Featured Design Project |
 Crocus Mill Farm
Columbia, Kentucky
Basics
Design: Work in progress
Acres: 196
Buildings:
- Main Residence, 1700 sq ft
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
- Guest Residence, 400 sq ft
- Garage&Workshop
- Barn
Home
Single Floor Living, Master Suite with Walk-in Closet, Fireplace of Local Stone, Separate Guest Cottage, Home Office with Murphy Bed, Tornado Shelter, Custom Casework Storage, Pocket Doors.
SIP Construction, Passive Ventilation and Cooling, Instantaneous Hot Water, Efficient HVAC System
Health
Air Exchange System, Low to No Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Materials
Green
Daylight Harvesting, Water Conserving Fixtures, Rainwater Capture, Locally Sourced Materials
Overview
When a professional couple from the building industry began planning for retirement, they knew an innovative design firm was needed to address their challenges. She held a governmental energy position, while he was a long term construction consultant. With far more construction related education than a typical client, they selected the skill set of ZeroEnergy Design (ZED) to create their new home.
The Site
 Recently, the couple purchased a 196 acre parcel of rolling land in rural Kentucky, including both cleared and forested areas. They desired a small and efficient main residence, a guest cottage for visitors, a barn, and a garage/workshop. The site plan for this compound evolved from the topography, the optimal orientations for energy performance, and the natural views available on the site.
The Residence
For this work in progress, a contemporary rural aesthetic was developed with a combination of simplicity, innovative spatial arrangements, and rustic materials. Ceiling height variation helps define different areas within the great room. Site lines capture views using windows optimized for passive ventilation. A screened porch extends the dining space to bring in the outdoors, while the open dogtrot to the guest cottage provides a second shaded space to take in the most appealing views on the site. The laundry room doubles as a safe room to provide a secure location in the event of a tornado. Built-in casework creates seamless storage spaces throughout the home.
Changing ceiling heights define different spaces throughout the great room.
The home design is a reflection of the couple's key priorities, including outstanding passive energy performance, healthy indoor air quality, long term durability, safety from extreme weather events, and use of local materials. The resulting home when completed will be healthier, less expensive to operate, and minimize impact upon the environment.
Windows within the bookshelves creatively provide both depth and views.
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| Solar Thermal Third Party Ratings |
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If you are considering harnessing the sun, solar thermal has regularly produced rapid payback scenarios worth considering for your home. How can you compare the actual systems? Third party rating provides a consistant way to compare attributes and performance.
"The Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) is an independent third-party certification organization that administers national certification and rating programs for solar energy equipment."
"The solar consumer benefits from the SRCC programs. These benefits include obtaining a measurement of quality, a measurement of performance, third-party independent corroboration, and a national standardized method to compare solar equipment and thereby determine the best buy."
Ratings for Solar Collectors and Systems
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Green Communities Act Passes in MA |
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Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts recently signed into law the 'Green Communities Act' with large repercussions for both industry and individual consumers.
The law includes multiple facets, such as requiring efficiency improvements before the creation of new production:
"Under the new law, the state will make energy efficiency programs compete in the market with traditional energy supply. Utility companies (NSTAR, National Grid, Western Mass. Electric, etc.) will be required to purchase all available energy efficiency improvements that cost less than it does to generate power, ultimately saving money on consumers' electricity bills.
Utility companies will offer rebates and other incentives for customers to upgrade lighting, air conditioning, and industrial equipment to more efficient models, whenever those incentives cost less than generating the electricity it would take to power their older, less-efficient equipment."
Another aspect enables utility companies to own solar installations:
"The measure also authorizes utility companies to own solar electric installations they put on their customers' roofs - a practice that was previously prohibited - up to 50 MW apiece after two years. If utilities take full advantage of this new opportunity, it will poise Massachusetts to meet Governor Patrick's goal to harness 250 megawatts of installed solar power by 2017.
For more information:
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| Archived Newsletters Now Available |
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ZeroEnergy Design has now made previous newsletters available on the firm's website. If you missed an older release, you can now easily go back and read up!
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| Indoor Air Quality Resources |
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Do you have asthma or chemical sensitivities? Do certain seasons affect your lifestyle in ways they shouldn't? Do you notice mold reoccuring in places throughout your house? Do you envision a home where you can breathe easily year round?
Standards developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Center for Healthy Housing, the Building America program, ASHRAE, and the Energy Star program provide great resources to improve indoor air quality.
When building your new house, these guidelines and resources can be instrumental in creating an environment that ensures a healthy living environment and clean fresh air inside your home.
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| Programmable Thermostats |
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This Energy Star programmable thermostats explanation for homeowners can help you stay warm in the winter and beat the heat in the summer while saving energy.
Programmable Thermostats - What are the three types?
- Which is right for you?
- What is the best way to program it?
- And many other questions answered...
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