Wow! The first years energy bills from this small office building show that it almost heats itself! Pre-construction calculations showed that the combined heat produced by lighting, computers and other office equipment, and the five or six full-time office staff would almost provide all the heat needed to keep this building warm on all but the coldest days of winter. The resistance electric wall heaters in each room come on for just a few minutes each morning as the staff is arriving at work, then the lighting and other equipment take over to keep the building warm throughout the day. The heat is turned down at night by set-back thermostats, so no energy is wasted. The expansive east facing windows help the morning sun warm the building, then the relatively bare south and west sides keep the sun from over heating the building in the mid-day and afternoon.
The expansive south facing roof area has enough room for 9 KW of Photo Voltaic panels, which would take it to Net-Zero-energy for most occupancies in most climate zones in the US.
The upstairs was originally designed as a separate office suite, but could easily be used as an apartment or owner’s suite with the addition of a shower in the bath, and kitchen facilities in the front room.
This plan won Commercial Project of the Year honors for it’s Energy Efficiency,compact yet efficient floor plan, and the use of design elements that allowed it to fit neatly into a residentail neighborhood.
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Wow! The first years energy bills from this small office building show that it almost heats itself! Pre-construction calculations showed that the combined heat produced by lighting, computers and other office equipment, and the five or six full-time office staff would almost provide all the heat needed to keep this building warm on all but […]
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What's Included in Our Zero-Energy Home Packages
We provide the most complete plan packages available on the market. We are interested in the ultimate success of your project, not just in selling a set of house plans.
Please scroll down to view the list of pages and information included in our plan packages.
The following table describes the typical number of plan copies needed to build one of our Low Energy Use Homes.
Basic Plan Set
Our Basic Plan Set includes just one copy of each page, for a total of approximately fifteen pages if on 11×17 paper, about eight pages if on 24×36 paper. Our pages can be either be printed on 11×17 paper, in high resolution, either 1/8″ or 3/16″ scale, depending on the size of the house, or we can print on full 24’x36″ “D” size architectural paper. Some local Building Departments have expressed an appreciation for the smaller size of page, because of the readability, and ease of viewing multiple pages at one time. It is also much easier to get additional copies made if you should need them. Larger page sizes are required by some jurusdictions, so be sure to ask before completing your order which size is required.
Full Building Set
Our Full Building Set includes the total number of plan pages shown on the spreadsheet below, at a slightly increased price to cover our additional costs.
Our Basic Plan Set and Full Building Set both include the Heat Loss Calculation Spreadsheet, Heating/Cooling system specifications, SIPS shop drawings, and Built Green® checklist.