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 tine ductless heat pump units 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 make it a Positive NRG™ building 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.
We include foundation plans, foundation details, floor plans of all levels, framing details, floor framing plans, and elevation views from all sides. We also provide an electrical plan, though you will want to modify the lighting to your own tastes. Most importantly, we provide a complete mechanical plan, tailored to YOUR climate zone.
We used to ship either a “Basic Set” of plans, with just one copy of each page, or a “full Set”, which ideally would include enough plan pagers for all of your key suppliers and subcontractors. Now most people prefer to have you send them a PDF to bid from and work from, and they will carry it with them in their portable device. Even banks and building departments are now preferring electronic plan copies.
There are now FedEx Office, Office Max, and similar locations all over the country where you can have full size plans printed at a far lower cost than what we can provide, especially when the cost and time required to ship them across the country is considered. When you need an extra copy of a certain page, you can simply e-mail the pdf page you need to the local outlet, and they will have it all printed and ready for pick-up by the time you arrive. Isn’t technology wonderful!