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Gloucester, MADeep Energy Retrofit

John Livermore, Livermore Energy Associates03-05-10

Thousand Home ChallengeCASE STUDY

January 2010

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Answer the Questions…

Why we did it?What we did?

What we learned?

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John Livermore…“The motivation for taking action to reduce our family’scarbon footprint was the understanding that carbonemissions need to be reduced by about 90% by 2030in order to stabilize the earth’s climate (at 350 ppm),and the realization that I needed to take personalresponsibility for reducing our emissions. Also, I’d beenin the energy efficiency business for over 20 years &I felt it was time to put my money where my mouth was(to walk the talk), taking everything I’d learned aboutbuilding science & had dreamed about doing over theyears, & applying it toward retrofitting my own house.”

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John continued…“The purpose of performing the energy retrofit &renewable energy installations on the Livermoreresidence was primarily to demonstrate what can bedone to reduce the carbon footprint of a suburbanhomeowner on a budget of approximately $50,000. Theoverall goal is to reduce our home’s carbon footprint by90%, & in doing so to help others by changing thecurrent paradigm of what is possible.”

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The retrofit strategy has struck abalance between three objectives:1. Make it affordable2. Make it feasible (use off-the-shelf technologies)3. Make it replicableThe sweet spot in the middle, where the three circles overlap, iswhere we primarily focused our strategy.

Affordability

FeasibilityRepeatability

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Project Cost Breakout(approximate)

Lumber & materials: $9,000Closed-cell foam insulation: $7,000Thermotech windows/doors: $19,000Solar hot water system: $11,500Solar PV system: $9,000Bill’s labor: $4,000Total: $59,500

Note: Costs do not include John’s time, but do factor in all rebates & taxcredits.

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Project Team

Caleb EwingLead Carpenter

Bill HallarenProject Assistant

John LivermoreProject Designer &Owner

MarcRosenbaum, P.E.

Project Engineer

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Other Team Members

John’s daughters,Alix & Samantha

John’s 93-year-oldfather

Jasmine,“the supervisor”

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Starting Point:Typical 1973 Garrison Ranch

• Finished floor area:2,480 ft2

• Walls: R-13 FG batt• Attic: R-19 FG batt• Windows: DH single-pane

w/storms• Basement: Uninsulated• Air sealing?: ...Ha ha

ha…None! (3,000 cfm50)• Lighting: All incandescent• Appliances: Vintage

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Interim Projects (2001-2007)• Replaced oil furnace

w/87 AFUE gas boilerw/indirect-fired DHWtank

• R-76 attic insulationw/air sealing & radiantbarrier

• Started insulatingbasement slab &foundation walls

• R-5 foam on north wall

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Project Target Specs• Walls: R-43 (5” closed-cell foam added)• Attic: R-76 w/radiant barrier• Windows: Triple-pane, low-E, argon (R-

5)• Bsmt: Slab (R-7.5), Walls (R-22)• Air Sealing: Reduce to 300 cfm50• Lighting: All LED/SSL & CFL• Appliances: All ENERGY STAR®• Renewables: 4.3 kW solar electric

system & 3-panel solar hot water system

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Goal: DramaticPerformance Improvement

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Meeting theThousand Home Challenge

• This home’s customized threshold to meet or exceed is11,247 kWh/Yr (Threshold Allowance OPTION B)

• This household will officially meet the THC when theapplication is completed, & documentation of 1 year ofhousehold consumption verifies that energy use is lessthan 11,247 kWh (net total site household energy)

• This household is on track for exceeding itsthreshold by a factor of two!

NOTE: THC OPTION A (75% reduction from previous use) cannot be used becausethe energy value of the previous year’s wood use is not verifiable. OPTION B is notrelative to previous use; inputs include weather, house size, number of occupancy andtype of fuel used for heating

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Thousand Home ChallengeThreshold compared with

Usage/Production (kWh/yr by use)

1 Approximate Pre-Consumption: Averaged over several previous years

0 500010000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

09-10 Actual / Predicted

(Net; including PV credit)

09-10 Actual / Predicted

(excluding PV)

THC Option A

(75% reduction)

THC Option B

Pre-Consumption1

Heat

Cooling

Water Htg

Everything Else

Net

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Thousand Home ChallengeThreshold Compared with our

Usage/ProductionTHC Option A (75% Reduction): 6,730 kWh/Yr (Equiv.)

THC Option B1: 11,247 kWh/Yr (Equiv.)

Actual/Projected Usage 2009-10: 5663 kWh/Yr (Equiv.)

1. Option B Assumptions: 6,594 DD, 3 occupants, wood/fossil heat, 2480 Ft2 FFA• For more information on the Threshold Allowance: www.ThousandHomeChallenge.org

Select Energy Source Enter annual use MMBtu kWh

Nat Gas - therms 30.0 3.0 879Electricity - kWh -1986.0 -6.8 -1,986

Wood pellets - lbs. 2817.0 23.1 6,770

Other 0.0 0

TOTALS 19.3 5,663

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Pre1(red) & Predicted2 (blue)Peak Heating Loads (Btu/Hr)

0 10002000

30004000

50006000

70008000

9000

Above Grade

North Wall

Above Grade Base

Wall (unfinished)

Below Grade

Base Wall (heated)

Frame Walls

Windows

Flat Ceiling

Glass Door

Infiltration

1 Existing in 2008, before basement partially insulated2 Predicted Final Condition, with DER, SDHW, & PV

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Design Heat Loss (Btu/Hr) Predicted Final Condition, w DER, SDHW, & PV

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

Above Grade North Wall

Above Grade Base Wall (u

nfinished)

Below Grade Base Wall (h

eated)

Slab on grade (heated)

Fireplace Wall

Frame Walls

Floor over 0

utdoors

Windows

Sloped Ceiling

Flat Ceiling

Opaque Door

Glass Door

Infiltration

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Pre-condition vs. Predicted Final

33129kWh/Meter2

06,000Electric Use (kWh/Yr)

3.815.2DHW MMBtu/Yr

21.463.7Heating MMBtu/Yr

6.216.1Design Heat Loss/Ft2 (Btu/hr/Ft2)

4.611.5Design Heat Loss (kW)

15,71239,352Design Heat Loss (Btu/hr)

PredictedPre (08)

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Construction details designed &drawn by Marc Rosenbaum, P.E.

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Meditating onMarc’s Sketches

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Getting the Building Permit• The code officials began as skeptics (“You want to do WHATto the house?!”) but we were able to turn them intosupporters.

Excerpt from my journal entry, July 24, 2008:“This is your house, right?” Bill asked. I knew he didn’t wantme experimenting on someone else’s home. “I like theapproach,” Bill said, with a skeptical thought bubble almostvisible over his head saying, “But I want you to show/convinceme that it’s going to work.” By the end of our chat, we allshook hands & Bill wished me luck & asked me to keep himposted on how the project is going.

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Creating theSpirit of Experimentation

Poster created byJohn’s daughter, Samantha

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Extending the Utilities

Boiler Intake & Exhaust

Gas Meter & Spigots

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Gable RoofExtensions

August 2008

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Re-roofing

Prep forthe PVsystem

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Slider to Clerestory

Reduced area of glass & maximizedopportunity for insulation

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Wall Truss System(aka ‘Larsen Trusses’)

Rip a 2x4 down themiddle & nail togetherwith plywood gussetsthe thickness of thedesired wall cavity

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Trusses & More Trusses

Installeddirectly overexistingsiding tominimizeconstructionwaste

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Deep Energy Retrofits can be FUN

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Window Frame Extensions

Trimmed 2x6s with9” TimberLokTM screws

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Window Frame Extension on Foundation Wall

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John…“One of the most satisfying experiences during theconstruction was the evolving reactions of my neighbors.I had prepped them prior to construction about what wasgoing to happen so it wouldn’t be a surprise to them. Atone point, I think they pretty much thought I had fallen outof a tree & hit my head way too hard. As the truss wallsbegan to take shape, however, & the first phase of sprayfoam was installed, several of them came over and, almostto a word, said, ‘Wow, NOW I get it. This is great! Imight consider this for my own house.’ They needed tosee it to understand it.”

The Neighbors

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Closed-Cell Foam

R-6 per Inch

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Prepping for Foam

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Spraying Foam

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Scraping Foam

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WindowsThermotechTM, triple-pane, Low-E, argon-filled,

foam-filled fiberglass frame, R-5

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Sequencing of Job: Trusses/Windowframes/Windows/Head flashing/More trusses

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Wall Drainage System

Aluminum mesh strips nailed to bottom plate, bent into a U-shape to hold CobraTM vent material. Surface of foam acts asthe wall drainage plane, & sill flashing directs any moisture

out through the ½” mesh area.

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Primed Outer Truss Face

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‘The Yellow Cake’

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Siding Begins

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It’s December…Cold hands, dull saw blade, tired bodies

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Siding Last (rear) Wall

December 2008

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January 2009

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January 2009

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June 2009

A big hunk ofmasonry & apiece of paper

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Insulating the Chimney

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RoxulTM mineralwool (2 2/8”, R-10)

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Reflections on the Chimney

“We should havetorn it down!”

MarcRosenbaum

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BasementFloorInsulationsystem

2 coats ofDryLokTM

paint

Install 2’x3’grid

Cut & fit1½” EPSfoam board

Install ¾”T&Gplywood

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Foundation WallInsulation System

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Interior WallInsulation System(North wall -Basement)

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Interior WallInsulation System(North wall -Bedroom)

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Lighting

All LEDs & CFLs

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AppliancesGave away dryer

Other appliances areENERGY STAR®-rated

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Ventilation

17-watt PanasonicTM fan (50 cfm) on ventilationschedule controlled by digital timer

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Solar Hot Water System

3-panel SchucoTM

system with110 gallon stainlesssteel storage tank

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Solar Hot Water Production-UsageJan 2009 - Nov 2009

• 110 gallon solar tank heats upto 145° F

• Estimated annual gas usage:30 therms (previous baselineabout 180 therms)

• Offset approximately 150therms of gas annually

• 4 therms of gas usage over7-month period (Apr-Oct)

HP is hours the 70 watt pump operated

Solar DHW Cumul (KWH) is electricity offsetassuming DHW is electric resistance (it is not)

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Hot Water Usage

• BricorTM 1.125gpm showerhead

• Could take a2-hour showeron 1 full tank ofsolar hot water

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Solar PV System 4.3 kW system(14) 310-watt SchottTM panels

Inverter

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Electricity Production-UsageOct 2008 - Sept 2009

• Ann. Prod: 4,889 kWh• Ann. Use: 2,903 kWh

(previous baseline:6,000 kWh)

• Produced 146% ofelectricity needs!

• Rainy June: 476 kWh

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ScanWoodstovew/Biobrick

Sole heat sourcefor house

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Heating• 2009-2010 heating season

will be the ‘after’ test case• Previous heating energy

usage: Approx. 700 thermsof gas per year

• Estimated 1 ton of Biobricksfor the heating season (orapproximately 231 thermsgas equivalent)

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Carbon Reductions:Closing in on Net Zero Energy

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A Boatload of Other Benefits

• Higher comfort at lower airtemps (heating season)

• Easy to maintain good RH• Significantly fewer colds &

viruses than previouswinters

• Quiet interior• More durable home: No

ice dams & lessmaintenance (with newbuilding exterior)

• Wide window sills

• Keeps money in the localeconomy (green jobs)

• Reduces U.S.dependence on foreignenergy supplies,strengthening nationalenergy security

• Provides buffer againstenergy price increases

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Lessons Learned - Start earlier than August

- It takes longer than you think - Planning, planning, planning

- Understand what you’re doing deeply before you start - Break down into individual tasks for planning &

ordering materials - Educate both code officials & neighbors

- Larsen trusses hard to make level over lap siding,& hard to find studs

- 3½” deck screws worked well for attaching trusses - 9” TimberlokTM screws worked well for attaching window

frames, which were built as a unit & attached as such - Next time, steel L brackets instead of trusses (save time)

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www.greenbuildessexcounty.org (click on ‘Gloucester residence’)

www.thousandhomechallenge.org

www.powerofaction.com/der/

For More Information

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Thank You!

jglivermore@yahoo.com