Heat Pump Hot Water Heater...who knew??

http://www.geappliances.com/videos-media/?video_uuid=ylz2ud48

Jen and I just finished meeting with Passive House Jake and he mentioned  he saw this in Austin.  We're seeing more and more of this today - treating the heating and cooling of the home as a "system" instead of using up electricity to perform discrete heating or cooling. Whether it's using warm air from an AC compressor to heat water, or this pump that uses the the air in a home (like that found in a summertime Texas home!) to heat the water.  The cool air expelled from the HPHWH can cool (or at least augment the cooling) of a home and in an uber-efficient home, every bit of helping with the cooling load can go a long way.

We like that Passive House Jake is up to speed with the latest and most innovative technologies to consider.  

Here is the link to the features and more of how it works:

http://www.geappliances.com/heat-pump-hot-water-heater/electric-water-heater-features.htm

Pics really are a 1000 words

How best to describe that I like an open kitchen that opens to a "somewhat less than full formal" dining room...well, a picture helps.

Found this while waiting at the hospital today.

Passive House Jake if you're reading, please add this to my house plan.  Good use of ceiling height changes to show different rooms.  But no fireplace necessary!

Views of the lot (and our first cut at a floorplan) as we walked it with Passiv Haus Jake - Picasa Web Albums

Drop Box - Scot Arey - Picasa Web Albums:

'via Blog this'

Views of the lot as we walked it with Passiv Haus Jake.  Our first meeting with a designer and I must say it was great to hear his passion for energy efficiency.

And here is the 1st floor plan concept we forwarded to Jake tonight.  Jen and I are not firmly set on this...we want the GREAT view to the lake, in a simple, open floor plan.  Just a rough layout using the Punch Home and Landscape software.

In case you're wondering...lots of technology experimentation tonight with the blog.

Meeting with Passive House Jake today

Couldn't resist taking the pic of the rising sun against the ridge...way in the distance are two homes.  Our lot is right between them.  Beautiful view from the Corps of Engineer land.

Oh by the way, today is my first day to report to the new assignment so exercise is over. Time to take a shower.

Excited to meet Jake who I referred to in the Passive House blog.

Finally met Dan and Karen and saw their wonderful home - THANK YOU

A great big "thank you" to the Cripe's for allowing me and my family to drive down and see their home in Round Rock, TX.  First thing I noticed on the drive down is that Texas has been doing some great interstate improvements and that there has been phenomenal growth - WOW!

What a wonderful couple, obviously passionate about their home and its green concepts (wrong words..."green applications" is better because they've put ideas into action).  Here are some impressions we got:

- "How much for the concrete floors?" I ask...Dan: "they're free."  I guess I always thought concrete floors were overlaid over the original foundation but Dan informed me that it's one and the same except more carefully laid, then covered during other construction phases.  There is a real cost-saver and like Dan says, we can always lay other things over the concrete later if desired.  Very nice.

- SPRAY FOAM!!!  I could have relaxed in their attic it was so comfortable.  I will definitely have that in our home.  We've already had three other homeowners and local builders advocate for spray foam so this seems like a no-brainer at this point.  I have heard 2x6 construction over 2x4 construction but Dan told me how his builder used 2x4 construction with more modern spacing to minimize thermal bridges and lower materiel costs.  Will have to think whether the extra 2 inch width is worth the cost...

- "Silestone" was a big hit with Karen (and Dan).  Add this to my list of things for Jen and I to look at - beautiful  durable.  When I asked Dan if he had anything he'd do differently, the thing that he said was "put Silestone in the bathroom."

- the metal roof is an investment for the longer term life-cycle costs.  Lasts forever, lower insurance cost...and with the PV solar panels, there is a roof that won't have to be replaced in 10-15 years requiring the panels to be taken down.  Smart.

- We're both fans of the "Not So Big House" concepts.  Build the house you need for your family and don't build extra spaces "just because."  Karen said she'd have gone with even less space if she could have.  another reminder to find a builder that is read and willing to help build the house for the Arey family, and not some slightly modified "standard template" they're comfortable with building.  The Cripes obviously love their home.

A great trip so thank you again Dan and Karen!  I look forward to getting you up to Harker Heights in the months ahead so you can see what we're up to.

NEXT TOPIC: finding the right builder...and Jen and my major effort over the next two weeks before I get back to work.  Already, we're getting a wide range of recommendations from folks on the Ridge.

PS: I loved the solar tubes, too.

Back from Afghanistan...time to get serious on this house now

I'll be back in Texas tomorrow after a beautiful drive through the Shenandoah Valley and to the southern end of the Appalachian Mtns.  In Vicksburg now and cross into Louisiana tomorrow for the long home stretch.

Passiv Haus in Central Texas

What might be more appropriate for a land based largely on German descent?  Passiv Haus design concepts have caught my eye during my off-duty reading but I wonder if they are applicable to the climate of Central Texas. My recollections of Germany as a young lieutenant are of cold, wet, dreary winters and relatively mild summers. My memories of Texas – confirmed by my wife’s present day reports from Harker Heights, are that Texas is just HOT! So today, I’ll go about a great article I found from the Passive House Institute’s website.
So about “Passive House.” A simple concept, before one adds all sorts of renewable gizmos, why not just make the house uber-airtight and energy efficient: “first, use less energy” is the mantra of the Passive House Institute of the United States. I like it. But don’t for a minute think they have a monopoly on this concept. The LEED certification and the Austin Green Building rating systems certainly apply the same concepts. The Austin checklist mandating no use of skylights is a great example – why open your well-sealed home to the heat of the Texas sun? But I’d say that the PH Institute’s laser-like focus on sealed walls makes it the de facto standard-bearer in this area.
So, let’s do some looking at this great article about passive house design. The PHIUS website has a fantastic page of linked articles but this one really caught my attention because it discusses how critical that a “tight” house is to attaining this efficiency. Check out this diagram and the R-ratings!

Some things really jump out to me:
1. Pay attention to the basics of construction – find a builder who does not jump right to solar panel discussion. Start with the basics: tell me how you build your walls?
2. Airtight homes need energy recovery ventilators – why re-cool or re-heat exchanged air from the outside. Put this on my list of things to research because I think it goes hand in hand with a tight house.
3. If…and a big if here…do I need a central heating system in a well designed Central Texas house? Or can a tight house, with central A/C use passive solar and individual room solutions to attain comfort during the winter? I don’t know enough about this yet so here’s another “to research” task.
4. Windows – both their U Rating and the sealing techniques will be critically important.
I see there is a gentleman in Temple who is certified in Passiv Haus techniques and I’ll call on him when I get back to Texas. And by the way, I’m about two weeks (11 days now!) from leaving Afghanistan. My replacement has arrived, he has taken over most of my duties, and now I’m finishing up some projects for my General. Yes, I am getting excited because a year (another one!) is a long time to be away from my three girls (for those counting, that’s one wife – Jen and my two daughters).
Next topic…send your suggestions in.  I’d love to hear them.  All the best, Scot