Lema Passive House - Mitsubishi Electric · 2020-02-21 · The Lema’s discovered an Oak Park,...
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percent lower than what a conventional home of similar size in Chicago would require. How to Cool and Heat an Airtight House Passive House standards require a 90 percent reduction in energy used for heating when compared to similar homes. Bassett-Dilley explained that, due to the harsh climate of the Chicago area, some cooling and heating is needed, even in passive homes with extremely tight thermal envelopes. “An engineer recently introduced me to a ductless system from Mitsubishi Electric [US Cooling & Heating Division, Suwanee, Ga.], which is the perfect fit for a Passive House,” he said. A ductless system is comprised of an outdoor condensing unit connected by small refrigerant pipes to a matching, non-ducted indoor air handler and a remote controller. Bassett-Dilley explained that the Mitsubishi Electric system came equipped with unique INVERTER-driven compressor technology. He also said the Hyper-Heat (H2i ® ) system would eliminate the expense of adding a supplemental heating system often necessary for homes in Chicago’s frigid winters. Because of the minuscule cooling and heating demands of the Passive House, the variable speed capabilities and minimum btu/h capacities of the Mitsubishi Electric system enable them to frequently operate efficiently at the partial load conditions. “All other systems would be overkill,” said Bassett-Dilley. Bassett-Dilley also explained that proper ductless system design for Passive House certification starts with a good understanding case study www.mitsubishipro.com October 2013 Chicago residents Corinna and Rodrigo Lema dreamed of finding a house that would represent the best practices of the green building movement. “Living in a drafty 1950s Georgian home in Chicago, we were concerned about energy performance,” Corinna said. “Our dream was to find a house that was less dependent on gas and oil. Every house we walked through could not come close to our energy objectives, so we decided to build a house that would meet these goals.” The Lema’s discovered an Oak Park, Ill., architect named Tom Bassett-Dilley, AIA. He was a Certified Passive House Consultant whose core mission was the pursuit of lasting architectural solutions and sustainability. Corinna invited Bassett-Dilley to the house. A one hour visit turned into three hours. “Finding an architect is kind of like dating,” Corinna said. “We felt an instant rapport with Tom and learned about the many benefits of a Passive House system.” The initial meeting with Bassett-Dilley convinced the Lemas to proceed with Passive House plans. It wasn’t long before they located an ideal lot in Chicago with an old house that needed to be torn down. Understanding the Passive House Bassett-Dilley told the Lemas that Passive House design requires the most airtight and highly insulated building envelope in the industry. Its highly-disciplined design results in heating and cooling loads that are minuscule when compared to a conventional house. As an example, he showed them a recent design in the Chicago area that had an estimated peak heating load of 11.46 kbtu/h and peak cooling load of 7.94 kbtu/h – 75 Challenge Selecting an HVAC system that would provide ad- equate heating at low ambient temperatures while still operating efficiently enough to allow the home to meet rigorous Passive House Standards. The Lema Passive House Project Location: Chicago, Ill. Completion Date: December 2012 Project Team Owner: Corinna and Rodrigo Lema, Chicago, Ill. Architect: Tom Bassett-Dilley Architect, Ltd, Oak Park, Ill. Builder: Weiss Building & Development LLC, South Elgin, Ill. Biltmore Insulated Concrete, Highland Park, Ill. Thermal Envelope Contractor: Eric Barton, Highland Park, Ill. HVAC Contractor: Arrow Heating & Cooling, Inc., Batavia, Ill. Lema Passive House Chicago Mitsubishi Electric Equipment Installed (2) MUZ-FE09NA Outdoor Units (2) MSZ-FE09NA Wall-mounted Indoor Units (1) PAC Simple MA Remote Controller of the heating and cooling load calculations. Ductless heat pump system selection is based not only on the specific building loads, but also on the climate in which the system will operate. Unlike other types of green building programs, in Passive House design, detailed engineering data is used to calculate the equipment’s performance at the actual outdoor conditions expected during peak heating and cooling operation. With the mechanical systems determined, Bassett-Dilley designed a 3,800-square-foot © 2013, Mike Crews Photography
Transcript of Lema Passive House - Mitsubishi Electric · 2020-02-21 · The Lema’s discovered an Oak Park,...
percent lower than what a conventional home of similar size in Chicago would require.
How to Cool and Heat an Airtight HousePassive House standards require a 90 percent reduction in energy used for heating when compared to similar homes. Bassett-Dilley explained that, due to the harsh climate of the Chicago area, some cooling and heating is needed, even in passive homes with extremely tight thermal envelopes. “An engineer recently introduced me to a ductless system from Mitsubishi Electric [US Cooling & Heating Division, Suwanee, Ga.], which is the perfect fit for a Passive House,” he said.
A ductless system is comprised of an outdoor condensing unit connected by small refrigerant pipes to a matching, non-ducted indoor air handler and a remote controller. Bassett-Dilley explained that the Mitsubishi Electric system came equipped with unique INVERTER-driven compressor technology. He also said the Hyper-Heat (H2i®) system would eliminate the expense of adding a supplemental heating system often necessary for homes in Chicago’s frigid winters.
Because of the minuscule cooling and heating demands of the Passive House, the variable speed capabilities and minimum btu/h capacities of the Mitsubishi Electric system enable them to frequently operate efficiently at the partial load conditions. “All other systems would be overkill,” said Bassett-Dilley.
Bassett-Dilley also explained that proper ductless system design for Passive House certification starts with a good understanding
case study
www.mitsubishipro.com October 2013
Chicago residents Corinna and Rodrigo Lema dreamed of finding a house that would represent the best practices of the green building movement. “Living in a drafty 1950s Georgian home in Chicago, we were concerned about energy performance,” Corinna said. “Our dream was to find a house that was less dependent on gas and oil. Every house we walked through could not come close to our energy objectives, so we decided to build a house that would meet these goals.”
The Lema’s discovered an Oak Park, Ill., architect named Tom Bassett-Dilley, AIA. He was a Certified Passive House Consultant whose core mission was the pursuit of lasting architectural solutions and sustainability.
Corinna invited Bassett-Dilley to the house. A one hour visit turned into three hours. “Finding an architect is kind of like dating,” Corinna said. “We felt an instant rapport with Tom and learned about the many benefits of a Passive House system.”
The initial meeting with Bassett-Dilley convinced the Lemas to proceed with Passive House plans. It wasn’t long before they located an ideal lot in Chicago with an old house that needed to be torn down.
Understanding the Passive House Bassett-Dilley told the Lemas that Passive House design requires the most airtight and highly insulated building envelope in the industry. Its highly-disciplined design results in heating and cooling loads that are minuscule when compared to a conventional house. As an example, he showed them a recent design in the Chicago area that had an estimated peak heating load of 11.46 kbtu/h and peak cooling load of 7.94 kbtu/h – 75
ChallengeSelecting an HVAC system that would provide ad-equate heating at low ambient temperatures while still operating efficiently enough to allow the home to meet rigorous Passive House Standards. The Lema Passive House
Project Location: Chicago, Ill.
Completion Date: December 2012
Project Team
Owner: Corinna and Rodrigo Lema, Chicago, Ill.
Architect: Tom Bassett-Dilley Architect, Ltd, Oak Park, Ill.
Builder: Weiss Building & Development LLC, South Elgin, Ill.
Biltmore Insulated Concrete, Highland Park, Ill.
Thermal Envelope Contractor: Eric Barton, Highland Park, Ill.
HVAC Contractor: Arrow Heating & Cooling, Inc., Batavia, Ill.
Lema Passive House Chicago
Mitsubishi Electric Equipment Installed
(2) MUZ-FE09NA Outdoor Units
(2) MSZ-FE09NA Wall-mounted Indoor Units
(1) PAC Simple MA Remote Controller
of the heating and cooling load calculations. Ductless heat pump system selection is based not only on the specific building loads, but also on the climate in which the system will operate. Unlike other types of green building programs, in Passive House design, detailed engineering data is used to calculate the equipment’s performance at the actual outdoor conditions expected during peak heating and cooling operation.
With the mechanical systems determined, Bassett-Dilley designed a 3,800-square-foot
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Mik
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case study
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To achieve the 90 percent reduction in heating load required to achieve Passive House certification, the Lema family selected an M-Series system, which could handle the low-load conditions of the home.
The selected Hyper-Heating ductless systems operate efficiently and at full capacity at low temperatures, an essential feature to accommodate Chicago winters.
house including a finished basement (recreation room), a main level with living room, den/office, kitchen, guest bath and an in-law suite for Corinna’s parents. The second floor has a master suite, two bedrooms and a bath for the kids. He also designed a detached two-car garage with a 64 square-foot solar thermal collector array to heat the domestic hot water. To take advantage of passive solar heat, he placed most of the triple-paned windows on the south side, and the house is wired for a future solar photovoltaic array on the main roof.
To build this house, Bassett-Dilley called on Master Certified Green Builder and Passive House Institute U.S. Certified Builder Brandon Weiss, LEED AP whose firm, Weiss Building & Development LLC, South Elgin, Ill., holds more green building certifications than any other builder in Illinois. Weiss is only one of 24 Master Certified Green Professionals (Master CGP) in the U.S.
“The Lemas wanted a home that was healthy, comfortable, efficient, super durable and concrete. The Passive House concept complemented by the low load, super-efficient
Lema Passive House Chicago
13,500 Btu/h. That’s one-tenth of what a typical built-to-code would be. In the summer months, the Lemas can expect to use less than a ton of cooling, when a similar sized, conventionally built house would use more like five tons in the same time period.” The selected Hyper-Heating ductless systems feature patented technology that allows the systems to operate efficiently and at full capacity at temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit and at 75 percent capacities at outdoor temperatures as low as minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit—an essential feature to accommodate Chicago winters.
“The fact that two indoor units were all that was needed to condition this space, blew me away,” said Chris Smith, owner of Arrow Heating & Cooling, Inc., Batavia, Ill., who installed the Mitsubishi Electric ductless systems for the house. “We’ve had nothing but positive feedback from homeowners for Mitsubishi Electric split-ductless systems. They are easy to install, operate and are really quiet.”
First Chicago Home to Receive Passive House CertificationThe home achieved its energy reduction goals and became the first home in the Chicago area to receive Passive House certification.
“We love our new Passive House!” exclaimed Corinna Lema. “It is incredibly cozy and comfortable. No more drafts; no more cold and hot spots. It is so quiet I cannot hear the school children during recess down the block until I open a window. And, I am happy to report that we recently received certification from the Passive House Institute!”
Mitsubishi Electric system was the perfect answer for comfort and energy savings,” Weiss said.
Defining Healthy, Comfortable, Super-efficient“This was my first Mitsubishi Electric split-ductless installation,” Weiss said. “The technology is great—ideal for a Passive House! The first thing that struck me was that I had no need to call in the plumber and electrician to figure routing for traditional ductwork. Secondly, I admire the system’s simplicity and efficiency—so easy to install; fewer moving parts, less maintenance, less costly to operate. And, once we got the system up and running, it was so quiet no one could believe it was operating.”
Two Mitsubishi Electric Hyper-Heating (H2i®) ductless systems—one on the first floor, one on the second—were more than sufficient to condition the entire house, Weiss clarified. “The maximum design load for the Lema house is
SolutionThe Mitsubishi Electric ductless system provides comfort and efficient operation at low load conditions that results in the energy reduction necessary to achieve Passive House certification.
