Building design and Energy consumption

zHome / David Vandervort Architects

Hamzeh Yousef 110919

Zaid Sarhan 110943
Owais Qattan 110942

24/2/18
Brief
location Issaquah, WA, USA
Typology Neighborhood
Occupant Type Residential, Educational
Project Area 1596 square meters
Building Area 1245 square meters
Building Footprint 540 square meters
Start of Construction April 2010
Start of Occupancy Period February 2012
Owner Occupied Yes
Number of Occupants 20
Number of Visitors 4-5
General Info
Place and Concept
DVA considered carefully how to create a
community within the Highlands that fit
with the character of the place, but, since
zHome was a unique and potentially
influential project, to give it a forward
thinking identity that promoted both the
technological aspects and the community
oriented aspects of sustainable living.
With the need for solar access, the desire
for an engaged but private streetscape,
and the goal of a shared common space,
the design solution for zHome began to
focus around a common courtyard.
Solar panels
Solar panels
Solar panels :
Solar panels : energy production
• An interesting implication of the zHome data, despite — or even because of — the high
performance of the solar panels, was the need to develop far better energy storage systems as
PV becomes more widespread. Since energy must be consumed when it is generated in the
absence of storage, there is a disparity between when the solar panels are producing energy and
when the homeowners are consuming it. In the case of zHome, if the solar panels are producing
more energy than is needed by the dwelling, the excess energy flows onto the electric grid and
will be used at some other location.
Conversely, if energy is being
consumed at a time when the
panels are not producing, such
as during the night, energy will
be pulled from the grid rather
than from the panels. In the
end, it all balances out since
zHome achieved net zero.
Solar panels : consumptions vs production
• The same disparity between consumption and production that occurs on an hourly basis also
occurs in a more prominent way across seasons. In the winter, homes typically consume more
energy in the Pacific Northwest as they meet their occupants’ heating needs. At the same time,
solar panels are not producing as much energy due to the overcast weather.
In the summer, homes consume less
energy — not needing heat and with
many (zHome included) lacking air
conditioning. This is the time of year
when solar panels are producing at their
best. The zHome data illustrate how
energy consumption and production
are almost perfectly in opposition to
each other over the year
Lighting
• Replace incandescent bulbs
with energy star qualified
compact fluorescent light
(CFL) bulbs and fixtures.
They use 75percent less
energy . Last up to 10 times
longer and mow come in a
variety of sizes
Lighting
Lighting : kitchen
Ventilation
Heat recovery ventilator
Super tight air sealed envelope
Water
• Though building a zero net energy development was the
primary goal of the zHome project, reducing water use
was an important aspect of the project as well. A goal of
reducing water consumption by 70% was set. In addition
to water-saving fixtures, such as efficient faucets and
toilets, rainwater is also collected in cisterns (cisterns vary
in size from 1,100 to 1,700 gallons) and then used for
flushing toilets and doing laundry. After zHome was
developed and Built Green’s Emerald Star certification
was finalized (largely based on lessons learned from
zHome) a water efficiency gain of 70% was approved for
the Emerald Star criterion as well. How does zHome
actually perform?
Water
Consumption Water
• Consumption Average water consumption in the Issaquah area is 47.9 gallons per person per day. 6 The
Emerald Star checklist uses a baseline water consumption of 67 gallons per person per day — from
which a 70% reduction must be made. zHome water consumption comes both from the water utility and
from rainwater harvesting. Analogously to our energy calculations, water consumption from the
rainwater harvesting system will not count toward household consumption like water from the utility
does. Unlike in the case of measuring energy use, however, we do not know exactly how many gallons
per day of rainwater are used since that is not tracked by the utility. But, it is possible to estimate these
numbers based on research on toilet and clothes washer use
(which zHome utilizes rainwater for). According to
over two years of utility water data (from November
2012 to May 2015), average per person water
consumption across the nine units we have water
data for was 16.07 gallons per day from the utility.
Estimated rainwater consumption is 11.46 gallons
per person per day,7 leading to a total per capita per
day consumption of 27.53 gallons — well below the
average consumption of 47.9 gallons per day in
Issaquah.
Water use
Rainwater use
Materials
Materials
HEATING SYSTEM
Ground source Mechanical
heat pump

Ground, Community
Based Pumping Facility
Heat Pump:
Water Furnace
Metalpres 120 Gallon Hot
Water Tank

• 914 m
• 51 degrees
Hydronic Heating
APPLIANCES
Refrigerator
Stainless Steel, GE Hotpoint® ENERGY STAR® 18.2 Cu. Ft. Top-Freezer
Refrigerator
Range
Stainless Steel, Samsung 30" Freestanding Induction Range Cooktop,
Dishwasher
Stainless Steel, BOSCH Energy Star Integra Dishwasher 4 Wash Cycles,
Clothes Washer
GE® Energy Star 2.2 DOE Cu. Ft. Frontload Washer
Dryer
GE® 4.0 Cu.Ft. Capacity Electric Dryer
Microwave
Stainless Steel, Samsung 1.6 Cu ft 1000 Watt Microwave
save money and protect the environment
through superior energy efficiency.
 Phantom loads
which is also known as standby power or vampire power, is the electricity consumed by an
electronic device while it is turned off or in standby mode

Use ‘smart strips’ or power bars

Plug all your related electronics, like your TV and DVD player, satellite TV box, computer, modem and
printer, into a single power bar, then switch them all off at once from the power bar when you’re not using
them. A newer type of power strip called the smart strip can make this even easier. Use one with your
computer or TV, and it turns off all the peripheral devices automatically. When you turn on your computer
or TV, the peripherals will all turn on
 Super insulated walls
Insulation
EPS(Expandable Polystyrene) and Rockwool

EPS
ADVANTEGES :
•ECONOMIC BENEFITS AND AN ECO-FRIENDLY CHOICE!
•HAS VERY LOW THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY DUE TO ITS CLOSED CELL STRUCTURE
•Prove to be lightweight and easy to handle (98% air, 2% plastics)
•ARE INORGANIC AND ROT-PROOF
•Have an insignificant degree of water absorption

Function : various applications such as roof, cavity wall, and floor

insulation
Rockwool
References
 https://www.slideshare.net/zHome?utm_campaign=profiletra
cking&utm_medium=sssite&utm_source=ssslideview

 https://www.archdaily.com/220740/update-zhome-david-
vandervort-architects

 https://www.slideshare.net/zHome/archive-9680225

 https://www.issaquahhighlands.com/first-zero-net-energy-
townhome-in-the-u-s-zhome/

 http://www.builtgreen.net/library/zhomewhitepaper.pdf

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YcPruFAE58

 https://living-future.org/lbc/case-studies/zhome/#energy

 https://www.archdaily.com/140346/zhome-david-
vandervort-architects/stack-vent-2