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FEATURED ARCHITECTURE PROJECT
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MARGATE RESIDENCE | MARGATE NEW JERSEY
This 2,600 square foot home was designed as a primary residence for a family of five in a coastal a New Jersey town. It is targeting the aggressive performance guidelines of the New Jersey Climate Choice Home Program, together with construction techniques to minimize the risk of flooding and flying debris during storms.
Before incorporating solar electric, the home predicted to have 61% better energy performance than a similar home built only to code requirements, and roughly 81% better performance after installing 5kW of solar electric.
MORE | PROJECT PROFILE
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BENEFIT CORPORATION
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 ZeroEnergy Design has decided to express the firm's values by converting into a Benefit Corporation, as allowed by a brand new Massachusetts state law.
Benefit Corporations must create a material positive impact on society as well as for shareholders, and reflect on how the firm's decisions affect their employees, community, and the environment. Moreover, they must publicly report on their social and environmental performances annually.
If you own a company, consider making the conversion to express your values.....
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SILENT SPRING STUDY ON FLAME RETARDANTS
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 A new Silent Spring Institute Study finds significant occurrences of flame retardants in homes.
"Flame retardants sound like a good idea to prevent our couches and computers and carpets from combusting. Yet these chemicals also accumulate and linger in our homes, sometimes winding up in household dust at levels of health concern. That was one of the central findings of a recent Silent Spring Institute study, the first to test for a wide range of flame retardants in homes.
Institute researchers tested for 49 flame retardant chemicals in household dust, the main route of exposure for people and especially for children. Forty-four chemicals were detected. Most homes had at least one chemical above a federal health guideline. The flame retardants found in house dust include carcinogens, hormone disruptors, and chemicals with unknown safety profiles."
DOWNLOAD | STUDY FACT SHEET
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SINGLE FAMILY ENERGY STUDY
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Packed with data and analysis, the Massachusetts 2011 Baseline Study of Single Family Residential New Construction report shares many insights.
The example shown on the right hilights why having an energy professional involved with your new home can be useful. Of 94 homes profiled, nearly all ended up with builder selected fiberglass insulation that barely meets code.
Super insulated walls of R40 or R50 clearly need to be driven by specific request.
MORE | SINGLE FAMILY STUDY (large pdf, please be patient)
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PASSIVE HOUSE NEW ENGLAND SYMPOSIUM 2012
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There was strong agreement that the Passive House New England Symposium 2012 was a success! Warmly received, the numerous speakers shared project insights and details.
If you are wondering what you missed, here are a few post-symposium resources including an interview with Stephanie Horowitz of ZeroEnergy Design, in her role as Secretary on the Board of Directors for Passive House New England.
MORE | PHNE WEBSITE | PHNE FACEBOOK PAGE
VIDEOS | VIDEO SUMMARY | INTERVIEW WITH ZED's STEPHANIE HOROWITZ
DOWNLOAD | SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM
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HOLIDAY WISHES
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All the staff at ZeroEnergy Design
wish you and your family
a wonderful holiday season!
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