Net Zero Homes more than just reducing utility bills.

A Net Zero Home is defined as a house that produces as much energy from renewable sources as it consumes.  This doesn’t mean a Net Zero Home won’t have an electric bill, they may purchase energy from the grid in the winter and sell it back in the summer but the end tally must be zero.  In 2006 the HERS Index or Home Energy Rating was created with 100 being the standard building and a Net Zero building receiving a rating of 0. A Net Zero home will have higher upfront costs, but lower monthly expenses, since the energy improvements are paid for in the initial building. 

In 2005 the average New England household spent $200.00 per month on utilities; at current interest rates on a 30 year mortgage a person spending $40,000 extra in upfront energy efficiency costs would spend an additional $190.00 per month on their mortgage payments.  So the net might be the same but the real savings is the 129 million BTU’s of energy the average New England home consumes annually, and no that wasn’t a typo.  And this is the real goal of Net Zero building not eliminate energy bills but eliminating off site energy consumption. 

The other part of the equation is making the upgrades not only efficient but economical. New Town Builders, In Colorado has built a model Net Zero home that costs just $26,900 more than their standard home offering.  However,  taking these costs into consideration in the mortgage process has been a challenge since there currently is no mechanism for evaluating the reduced utility bills into a borrower’s ability to afford the loan.  Soon there may be the Sensible Accounting to Value Energy Act would direct federal mortgage agencies to consider the reduction in energy costs in the loan qualification process. 

The SAVE Act is not just for Net Zero Homes,  if passed any energy efficiency improvements will be taken into consideration as long as they reduce the consumer’s utility bills.  The SAVE Act is expected to create 83,000 new jobs by 2020 and save over 1 billion dollars in energy use annually.  Consider a boiler replacement that reduces a home’s energy bill by 30%, in New England that could equate to a $500 per year savings.  And a person looking at a home with a high efficient boiler could qualify for mortgage that is $9,000.00 higher than a home without one. 

Altherma provides a Solution

A recent renovation on the Cape sent the HVAC contractor looking for a solution to a unique set of conditions, provide heating and cooling to a home that sets on the beach, without using a fossil fuel, not be affected by the salt air and fit in to the aesthetics of the house and surrounding area. 

Enter the Daikin Altherma Monobloc this all in one unit will provide heating and cooling with a SEER rating of up to 27 and a COP of 4.  The small footprint of the Altherma and its built in pump allow for an installation over 40' from the house and will be enclosed on 3 sides by a small structure to match the home.  And with Daikin's PE Fin the fins are covered with an acrylic and hydrophilic coat that has efficient corrosion resistance.

More reasons why Daikin is the world leader in Absolute Comfort. 

Can you Heat your home in December for $6.15 a day?

You can with an air to water heat pump like the Daikin AC Altherma, at an installation here in New England the Altherma used an average of 45KW per day which at current electric rates works out to $6.15 per day.  And the side benefit is that you will reduce your CO2 emissions by more than 50% over a standard fossil fuel boiler. In the winter an air to water heat pump works by taking thermal energy from the outside and transferring to the inside of the home via radiators, fan coil units or radiant floor heating.  Because the Altherma employs an inverter driven condenser unit it can extract heat from the outside even at subzero temperatures.  And with a Coefficent of Performance as high as 4.54 which means for every 1 KW of energy used 4.54 KW of heating energy is produced or for every $1.00 you spend you get an additional $3.54 free.  And the above $6.15 per day includes the lights and other electric items in your home.

Learn More Here

USING THE AIR OUTSIDE TO HEAT AND COOL YOUR HOME.

When we think about air conditioners we think of them as appliances that cool a space.  In reality they are removing the heat, yes this is splitting hairs, but it explains how we can use these same appliances to provide heat in the winter as well.

Have you ever stood next to an outdoor condenser and felt the hot air blowing out of it?  This is the condenser unit rejecting the heat from inside.  These units work by flowing refrigerant in a loop thru the outdoor and indoor unit picking heat up inside and dropping it off outside.

The refrigerant can absorb and reject heat by constantly changing its state from a liquid to a gas and back, when it is passing thru the indoor unit or evaporator it changes from liquid to gas and absorbs heat.  The gas is then run through the outdoor unit or condenser where it is condensed back to a liquid and the heat is rejected.  In the winter a heat pump unit can reverse this process and take the heat from outside and bring it inside to provide heating. 

On the inside the heating or cooling process has generally been limited to an air based system.  However by adding a refrigerant to water heat exchanger indoors we can transfer the energy to water, now we have an air to water heat pump.

If we cycle the water thru heat emitters that are designed for lower temperatures such as radiant, panel radiators or specially designed air handlers we have a very efficient heating and cooling system that is using up to 75% renewable (free energy) and dramatically reducing carbon emissions.

Since the indoor heat emitters are hydronic it is very simple to pipe in a supplemental heat source like a wood, gas or oil boiler for the really cold days.  Accessories like solar kits and water heaters allow the user to reduce their energy consumption even further.

Take a look at the Daikin Altherma system here.