User:Leannd123/PNC SmartHome Cleveland

PNC SmartHome Cleveland March 2011-Present Cleveland, Ohio

The PNC SmartHome Cleveland is built on the site of the Cleveland Natural History Museum and is made to be the future of energy efficient design and housing. The Green City Blue Lake Institute, a non-profit sustainability institute, along with the Cleveland Natural History Museum created this project using passive house technology. A passive house means that the house is designed to meet the highest energy efficient standards in the world. To read about passive house technology click here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house.

The PNC SmartHome Cleveland is one of only about a dozen known passive houses in the United States of America. The home is predicted to consume 90 percent less heating and cooling energy than a conventional house and about 70 percent less primary energy for all uses. The PNC SmartHome Cleveland is designed to function without a furnace and also equipped with the most energy efficient, sustainable products on the market.

The smart home is 2,500 square feet and has 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ bathrooms. The house is designed to house a family in the future as it is put up for sale in October after the summer tours end. The house will physically be picked up by steal rods and moved to a local Cleveland neighborhood in early October.

Specialization features of the PNC SmartHome Cleveland:

Garden/Outdoor:

The concrete path leading up to the house is unique because it is impervious so rainwater is able to seep through decreasing storm water runoff while replenishing the ground water simultaneously. 

Rain Chain feature: There is a water feature hanging from the right side of the house off the roof to the ground, this is called a rain chain. The water collected from it is actually directed underground to the rain garden. Rain Garden The SmartHome rain garden collects runoff from the roof, patio areas, and the south side of the exhibit site. Native plants fill the rain garden basin, including bee balm, blazing star, and goldenrod. Some are flood tolerant and some are drought-tolerant. These plants help absorb excess rainwater, preventing run off, and filtering contaminates out of the water. Drought tolerant plants need to be watered less and are lower maintenance. They also add biodiversity and attract butterflies, birds, and bees. Outdoor Light These outdoor lights you see face downward, decreasing light pollution and are LED- efficient bulbs.

Solar Array The SmartHome Solar panel array is from Dovetail Solar, an Ohio Company. Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight to electricity without the carbon emissions and other pollutants created when burning coal or other fossil fuels. The stand that the solar panels are mounted on is the world's first manually adjusted solar power tracking system. The solar array moves to follow the angle at which the sun is at throughout the day. A moving solar array can gain 40% more power than a stationary array.

Insulation of the PNC SmartHome Cleveland Panelized wood frames: The panelized wood frames of the Smarthome were constructed offsite. Offsite construction reduces construction waste, and is faster than building onsite. The whole frame was installed onsite in less than a week. Cellulose Insulation: Starting behind the drywall, the wall frame is filled with 6 inches of cellulose insulation. Cellulose Insulation is one of the greenest products in the world. It is made from recycled newsprint and other paper sources, paper that might otherwise end up in landfills, releasing greenhouse gases as it decomposed. Cellulose performs better than fiberglass as an insulator without releasing pollutants and toxins like formaldehyde, and takes much less energy to produce than foam or fiberglass. It is also fire retardant. SIPs: Pre-made 6 inch panels of foam called SIPs, or Structural Insulated Panels. They come in large sheets and are attached to the outside of the wood panels with a crane. Air Barrier: Between the 2 layers of insulation they create the air barrier. They do this by sealing all of the cracks or breaks in the panels. The air barrier for the house is tested to make sure that the building is airtight. This is done by measuring air changes. The number of air changes in a building measures how drafty a house is. A Passive House is designed to have only 0.6 air changes per hour. A typical new house might have 5 air changes per hour, and a drafty old house might be as high as 10-20. So a typical new house is about 10 times draftier than a passive house.

Air vapor membrane:

Next they then cover the outer board of the SIP with a vapor permeable membrane. This sheet is designed to keep out moisture, but allows vapor to escape from the house. This makes the walls extremely durable with limited to no condensation and prevents water damage and mold. This house is expected to last 300 or more years and be extremely durable. Thermal Bridging: The walls, doors, and windows also are designed to eliminate thermal bridging. Thermal Bridging happens when heat or cold passes through materials that are good conductors. Wood actually is one of the main thermal bridges in most houses. Wherever there is a solid section of wood heat is escaping and temperature can be transferred. The walls of this house break those thermal bridges, by placing thermal resistant materials between wood. Siding: The Siding is Hardiboard, which is a fiber cement siding and is extremely durable, and can hold paint much longer than wood siding because it isn’t expanding and contracting. The paint on the siding is Sherwin Williams Super Paint, which is another low VOC paint. Roofing: The roof is made by CertainTeed Solaris, with a membrane to guard against ice and water, and Shingles with solar-reflective granules for a cooler roof. In the winter heat is not escaping through the roof or walls of this house, so there are no ice dams, making the roof even more durable. In the attic there are 24 inches of insulation, so no heat would be escaping from the roof or the walls of the house. Ventilation: The PNC SmartHome Cleveland has a state of the art ventilation system. It is called an energy recovery ventilation system. It transfers the heat or energy from the outgoing stale air in the house to the incoming fresh air at an 84% efficiency rate. It also dehumidifies and filters the air for excellent indoor air quality and is extremely quiet. Heat Pump: The heat pump provides supplementary heating and cooling. The heat pump device is installed on the wall and is the air- source for the smart home. It uses the same amount of energy as a couple of hair dryers. It generates just enough heating or cooling to keep the house at a perfect temperature, and like any other heating or cooling unit you can set the thermostat to the exact temperature you would like to keep the house at. And it’s extremely quiet, and energy efficient, using one-tenth the amount of energy you would be using over the year with a furnace and air conditioner in a typical house. .

Energy Tracking System by Intwine: This device tracks the amount of energy used by the entire house on a computer located in the family room. You can also track the energy use of individual appliances.

Kitchen: Appliances: The appliances in the SmartHome are Energy Star appliances, which assures you that your appliances are 20% more efficient than the minimum federal standard. All of the appliances were sponsored by Green Street Solutions, a local energy auditing company. The Cook top is an electric induction cook top. Induction technology heats only the pan and its contents reducing wasted heat when compared to radiant and gas cook tops. Passive houses are tightly sealed, so they cannot have gas cook tops that require venting of combustion gases to the outside. It actually creates an electromagnetic field that excites the atoms in the pan. And induction cook tops also have the power to boil water in 30 seconds. Icestone: This kitchen island is made of IceStone, a durable surface made of 100% recycled glass in a cement matrix. Only durable surface in the world to receive Cradle to Cradle Gold certification. Cradle to Cradle certification means that the product is both made sustainably using environmental or recycled materials and at the end of the products life the materials it is made of can be recycled or disposed of sustainably rather than thrown in a landfill. Faucet: The faucet is from Moen, headquartered in Northeast Ohio. On this faucet, you can easily switch between water-conserving, low-flow stream or spray at 1.5 gallons per minute or a full flow option at 2.2 gallons per minute for tasks that require a set amount of water, such as filling a pot. Cabinets: The cabinets are produced locally in Middlefield, OH, with wood-conserving manufacturing processes.

Flooring: Oak hardwood This oak hardwood flooring we are standing on is reclaimed from a house deconstructed in Cleveland Heights, salvaged by the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity. It is over 100 years old. Marmoleum in Mud Room The flooring in the mudroom here is called Marmoleum. It is linoleum made from renewable raw materials such as linseed oil, made from flax seeds, and other natural materials. Stairs:

The stairs going upstairs are made using purple wood along with the stair banisters and inlays and timber frame is reclaimed from the old bleachers in Lakewood Park, Ohio. It is actually a purple heart wood, which grow in this color and is a very rare tropical wood that is very expensive and hard to find. 

The coffee table in the living room is also made of wood reclaimed from buildings being demolished in Cleveland by a local company called A Piece of Cleveland. They make all kinds of furniture from demolished buildings.

Upstairs: Office : The Office chair is a Steelcase Think Chair. Is the first chair to receive Cradle to Cradle certification. 99% of the materials in this chair can be recycled at the end of its life. The carpeting in the office is from InterfaceFLOR, a leader in environmental design, using recycled materials and powering their factories with alternative energy like wind and solar. .

Children’s Room: Paint: All of the paint throughout the house is Sherwin Williams, headquartered in Cleveland, their Promar 200 line, which is a low VOC paint. VOC’s: VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound. VOCs vaporize or off- gas into the air from drying paint or adhesives. They are linked to the depletion of the ozone layer and are also linked to a variety of health concerns. VOCs are not only in paint, but also other furnishings, adhesives, and products. This house was entirely designed to minimize the off-gassing of harmful chemicals. The paint on all of the walls as well as the other products throughout the house is not only better for the environment, but also safer for the future residents of the house. Bathroom: Solar Hot Water Heater: Much of the water for the building will be heated by a solar thermal hot water system mounted on the roof at the permanent site. Shower and Faucet: The faucet and showerhead are also from Moen. All of the showerheads and faucets meet the EPA’s WaterSense standard, meaning they are 20 percent more water efficient than average products. Toilets: The toilets are Toto Aquia toilets. It’s estimated that toilet flushing accounts for more than 25% of home water use — which means that a lot of purified, potable water is just flushed away as waste. Newer low-flush toilets use only 1.6 gallons, while older toilets use up to 4 gallons per flush. Dual-flush toilets allow further savings by offering the choice of a 0.9-gallon flush when less water is needed. Master Bath: Heated Towel Rack and Flooring: The heated towel rack and floor provide efficient heating for warm, dry towels and warm floors when you get out of the bath. And the SmartHome requires so little heating to maintain temperature that a heated towel rack, and floor panels can be a major source of heat for the entire house.

Master Bedroom: Solar Orientation of windows: One of the main passive sources of heat is the sun. The windows of the house are designed specifically for the house’s permanent location on Wade Park Avenue based on the orientation of the sun. On that site they will face south, to take maximum advantage of solar energy, keeping the house warm in the winter. In the summer, the sun is higher in the sky so the external shades or awnings are designed to keep out excess sun. The blinds are Hunter Douglas Blinds, which are much better insulated than typical blinds and can be put down to reduce the amount of heat coming in from the sun in the summer. Windows: Even though the house is sealed you can open the windows on a nice day when you want to let air in. The windows open two different ways. They are 3-4 times better insulated than typical windows. They are triple-paned with high performance glass and argon gas between the panes to increase their insulation. There is a glaze on the window to increase solar heat gain, which is something that can be applied to normal windows as well.

Long-term affordability:
Despite the houses focus on energy efficiency, does not sacrifice beauty.  Since the SmartHome will become someone’s home, functionality, attractiveness, and marketability were all essential components of its design.  Currently in the US, a passive house costs an estimated 10-20% more to build than a conventional house.  

However, a passive house will save money in the long run because of dramatically lower energy costs. In fact, with the rising prices of gas, a passive house is a hedge against energy cost spikes. And the durability of a passive house can reduce maintenance costs. That’s why Habitat for Humanity chapters all across the US is starting to build Passive houses. This house is an example of a new energy future. As utility costs continue to increase, this type of construction will become more mainstream. There are about 15 certified Passive Houses in the US with more on the way. In Europe where this type of construction originated, there are 25,000 homes as well as schools, offices, retail stores and factories. In any case, the cost premium should be reduced as more passive houses go into production, more energy-efficient products become available in the U.S., and the building industry becomes more familiar with the concepts.

External links

• example.com