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It\'s Official! HUG received notification today that ARC\'08 has met and exceeded Minnesota Power\'s Triple E New Construction standards. Minnesota Power\'s Triple E program promotes energy-efficient construction and design through specific thermal and performance standards. Triple E stands for Energy Efficiency, Education and Evaluation The program is open to all residential new construction built in Minnesota Power\'s service area. Homeowners and builders can qualify for special incentive rebates by meeting specific energy standards.Homes built to Triple E standards provide the homeowner with lower energy costs, a healthier indoors, improved building durability and increased market value. More information on the Triple E program can be found on Minnesota Power\'s website: http://www.mnpower.com/powerofone/one home/new construction/
Blower Door Tests
Doug Manthey of Conservation Technologies sets up the frame for the blower door. Contracting with MN Power, Conservation Technologies evaluates building performance. Results are compared with the Triple E Tier I or Tier II standards. In the case of ARC\'08 we\'re aiming for achieving Tier II standards.
All known gaps are sealed and the building is depressurized using a “blower door.” The blower door lowers air pressure on the inside of the building by 2/10 of an inch on a manometer which is similar to a 20mph wind hitting the walls. Measurements are presented in a number of different formats, for the purposes of this article we are focusing on Air Flow and Air Changes per Hour.
Air flowCFM50 is defined as the air flow in cubic feet per minute needed to create a 50-pascal pressure change in the building envelope. CFM50 is one of the most basic measurements of airtightness. The chart below shows how ARC’08 compares to average existing construction in MN, average new construction in MN and Energy Star Tier II Standards.
Air Changes per Hour (ACH) at 50 pascalsAir Changes per Hour (ACH) is a standard measurement used in blower door tests. One of the most common ways to normalize building airtightness is to calculate the number of times per hour that the total volume of the enclosure is changed, when the enclosure is subjected to a 50-pascal pressure difference. To calculate air changes per hour, the total volume of the enclosure is required in addition to the CFM50 measurement.
Passive House is the most aggressive set of energy efficiency standards in the world. An airtight shell, good insulation and use of passive energy sources are the primary components that minimize heat loss and generate heat. The Passive House standard requires airtight building shells of ≤ 0.6 ACH @ 50 pascal pressure. For more information on Passive House visit the Passive House Institute US
Peter Lofstrom of Evergreen Energy Audits checks for air leakage using neutral density smoke.
Although the blower door test is a good test of air infiltration it doesn’t give a complete picture of building performance. The openings in the house (windows and doors ) must have a good U/R rating. Insulation throughout the building must have as few flaws as possible. (ARC’08 has R-50 under the floor, R-50 side walls, and R-100 roof assembly). ARC \'08 Update
Lotsa of "stuff" happening on and in ARC\'08
The fascia is on the outside of the house. What\'s fascia? Check it out http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascia_(architecture)
The wood under the back eave is up, and looks great.
The sheetrock is hung, taped and sanded.
The walls are getting wainscotting.
Mark has made wood doors with polycarb inserts. "Twin wall" polycarb is being used in ARC \'08, because of the insulation value. What is polycarb? Check it out http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarb
The large garage area is designed for water storage tanks, the polycarb panels in the garage will provide light for greenhouse use.
The window seat in the bedroom is taking shape.
Heading upstairs, more wood has gone up.
A interesting view from the upstairs window...
There will be a varity of wood throughout ARC\'08 inclucing pine, aspen, cedar and cherry.
This wall is waiting for polycarb inserts, allowing more light into the upstairs area.
The second set of windows is set in place upstairs. And the work continues... with discussions on water reprocessing, compact solar panels, trimwork, wall colors and finishes all happening at the same time!
Working toward ARC\'08 Goals
A goal of ARC\'08 is to heat and cool itself without fossil fuels.
 The 12 inch SIP wall has an R-value of 50
The R-value is a measure of thermal resistance used in the building and construction industry.
The bigger the number, the better the building insulation\'s effectiveness.
 The trusses are designed to help reduce the thermal bridge.
A thermal bridge is created when materials that are poor insulators come in contact, allowing heat to flow through the path created.
In the ceiling, cellulose insulation will be blown for an R-value of 100. The ceiling portion in the picture, will have insulation sprayed in to keep the high R-value. There are no planned ceiling penetrations. The ARC will have 2 sets of windows throughout the structure. Another goal of the ARC is to help feed the occupants. Working toward this goal, there is a greenhouse along the front of the house and garage. The greenhouse will also assist in the water reprocessing, touching on the third goal of the ARC, to process it\'s own water and waste.
In the middle of the house, between the sections of greenhouse is the start of the dining room. ARC\'08 has the potential of being functional and asthetically appealing! ARC\'08 is taking shape
ARC\'08 is taking shape... the front roof arch is in place.
The outside perimeter has been insulated, the roof is sheeted and ready for steel.
The back porch has an overhang...
The upstairs has a floor...
400 bags of insulation arrived Wednesday in what appeared to be a beer truck!
Dug is ecstatic about the ARC\'08 progress or... there was more than insulation on that truck ;)
ARC\'08 is moving on up!
ARC\'08 is moving on up... the upper outside walls are set and the rafters are on. Take a look at the progress!      Root Cellar-Storm Shelter
Behind ARC \'08 the ICF Root Cellar/Storm Shelter has a roof! 
Wondering what ICF\'s are? Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) are stay-in-place formwork for energy-efficient, cast-in-place reinforced-concrete walls. The forms are interlocking modular units that are dry-stacked (without mortar) and filled with concrete. The forms lock together somewhat like Lego bricks and serve to create a form for the structural walls of a building. Concrete is pumped into the cavity to form the structural element of the walls. Usually, reinforcing steel (rebar) is added before concrete placement to give the resulting walls flexural strength, similar to bridges and high-rise buildings made of concrete. After the concrete has cured, or firmed up, the forms are left in place permanently for the following reasons:
SIPs On the Move
The sun finally decided to grace us with its presence. That meant smiles on many faces around campus as the SIPs started going up. It seemed like a long time ago when the SIPs arrived (really it\'s only been a couple of weeks)
A few of the panels have found their way to the building
The building starts to take shape Root Cellar
We will need a good, cool place to store the food harvested on campus - the root cellar will serve as food storage and as a storm shelter.
For starters we need a rather large hole in the ground.
Neal installs a system he designed which allows footings and walls to be poured at the same time.
ICFs attach directly to the base.
With the ICFs nearing final height the room has a much different feel.
Concrete will be poured in two phases so the weight doesn\'t cause the base of ICFs to bow.
The floor is poured and coming soon...the roof! ARC Slab
The tubing is in place for the in-floor heat and has been tied to the steel rods so as not to slide out of place when concrete is poured.
Big Dog decided the best path to his destination was across the still wet concrete. This resulted in him being unhappily confined to Old Main for the remainder of the day.
The finished slab. |
