The Number Crunch

Well, I have finished my first round of Residential Manual J calculations for Heat Gain and Heat loss. It really isn't too difficult of a task if you are willing to learn and read between the lines. One good thing is that once you have all of your data together (areas, volumes, infiltration factors, thermal values, thermal coefficients, shading coefficients, etc, etc.) it is easier to perform several calculations for different design scenarios expeditiously. What I discovered is that the scenarios I thought would work better did not provide the better results. Small changes to the construction systems could yield improved performance for the HVAC (Heating Venting Air Conditioning) system.

The HVAC system we are planning to use is a two stage high performance heat pump with an ERV (energy recovery ventilator) and a HEPA filter. The house will be broken into two zones one for the grade level and the other for the lower level which yields side hill exposures. The attic will be insulated at the roof deck and unvented. We are in a moderate hot humid location. This means that the heating and cooling requirements are about equal. In our current home, which is much larger, we used a geothermal system for heating and cooling and the performance has been phenomenal. The renovation is located on a smaller site and the floor plan is about 1/2 the size. The return on investment for geothermal would be much longer and an overkill on our renovation.

So far, our work is paying off. We recycled the existing 3 ton single stage heat pump and based on the calculations installing no more then a high performance 2 ton heat pump. This calculation includes adding about twice as much glass as the old house had to increase daylight conditions and improvements to the thermal envelope through out.

The photograph is a picture of David Williamson and Jonathon (?) . David and Jonathon were two HVAC students at Asheville Buncombe Community College who began their own company, Asheville Heat Pump Service. In the photograph, they are in the process of removing the 3 ton unit. David was great because he also helped to find another home for the unit. We remain optimistic about our final results.

How to structure a day

It's been quite interesting to spend time with my recuperating husband and still manage to be "accomplishing" something. As someone who is used to having the summer "off", and her partner away from home, I didn't realize how much I structure my own time or choose to do things in the flow of the day.
With Sensei unable to work on our renovation (or go to his "real" job, either), we are finding what it might be like to be "retired" together and it's pretty easy as long as I don't let him do all of the time decisions. If we start our day with a "How do you see the day unfolding?" conversation, I think things develop even easier. That way, we are aligned on big goals and can float around some of the smaller ones. An afternoon update is always a good idea, so that we can regroup and see where we really are.
Altho', with Sensei, it's usually wise to not commit to too much because once he hears it as a possibility, then reality is the only option available!! Commitment is a big thing with him. . which is how we managed to get the house built so far. He decides and then it happens!! I'm more likely to see how things are going and decide in the moment. Ach, well. Tiny growth spurts are expected 10 years into a marriage AND this time of year.

Finding Your Comfort Zone

While doing the research to size the heating/cooling units in our remodel, I have found that the heating and cooling load software programs available to the residential owner are mostly unsuitable for a customized home. They can also be expensive and for a one time user rather limited in their format for calculations. In green or sustainable construction, it becomes a bit more obvious that standard equations based on builder construction systems do not allow for improvements such as thermal conduction slabs, solar green houses, or energy recovery ventilation just to name a few items. The only options available to the home owner involve a lot of techinical research and computing. Imagine your local heating, ventilation, air conditioning person going through all of the effort required when it is easier to make a sale based on rules-of- thumb, which by the way typically overheat and overcool your home.

Looking at the software programs available on-line that are based on Manual J, I discovered that the built-in thermal values cannot be changed and there are set system standards in order to keep the price for a one time user low (unless you want to spend over $1,000.00 and spend time learning to manage the calculations.) So if a homeowner wants to figure the size of the heating and cooling unit so that it is not oversized, the options are really limited. You might try using one of these programs or hire an engineer (since few of the HVAC guys actually know how to figure the perfect balance). Usually, what happens is a unit is installed that is oversized (and, therefore, inefficient or does not remove enough humidity from the air making you uncomfortable).

While trying to get an accurate figure with a passive solar or highly insulated home, your best bet is to purchase the Residential Manual J latest edition (It can cost around $140.00) and self-study or take a course at a local community college. Your other option may be to pay a professional HVAC engineer or a HERS (Home Energy Rating Sytem) engineer capable of expanding on those Manual J calculations.

RECYCLING REVELATIONS

Since we started the renovation there have been trials and tribulations with recycling as much construction debris as possible. When we measure what was recycled for re-utilization the tally is rather amazing. Looking back at our journal serves as a reminder of just how much material is involved in residential construction and how much can be saved from landfill while being placed into new use. We are still reaping the benefits of past civilizations even to this day because of this concept. To be a bit more humble, here is a short list of what we have managed to recycle.

• Brick Masonry from interior (fake)fireplaces
• Sliding Glass windows
• Operable windows
• Interior and Exterior Doors and frames
• Door Hardware
• Ceiling Fans
• Light Fixtures
• Water Closets
• BathTubs
• Lavatories
• Laminate Flooring
• Carpeting
• Dimesional Lumber
• Interior Trim
• Kitchen Appliances
• Propane Room Heaters and Fireplace Fixtures
• Sheet Metal
• Copper Water Piping
• Aluminum Gutters and Trim
• Overhead Garage Door
• Electrical Wiring
• Steel Posts
• Landscaping
• 3 Ton Heat Pump
• 50 Gallon Hot Water Heater
• Condensation Pumps
• Ductwork
• Concrete Rubble
• Left Over Paints and Stains (from previous Owners)
• We even managed to relocate thousands of honey bees

Despite these efforts we still had a considerable amount of waste. That waste totaled to close to three full 40 cubic yard dumpsters plus 21 pickup truck loads. Items such as molded fiberglass insulation, carpet pad, drywall, rotted or poorly used lumber , roofing etc. Recycling is not yet perfected but every ounce of saved materials is one less on our conscience.

Towering Trumpet

As we finish the lower level bathroom and tile the utility room (my first time!!), it feels as though we could actually live in the house if we had to (if our current home sold, for example). We decided to pay some attention to the entrance of the house on the ground, this time, rather than the cedar posts and roof. I planted some evening primrose, blanket flowers, balloon plants and pink nancy to establish a few perennials this year. We also wanted to find a plant to grow up the outside column and add color and shade to the front porch overhang.

At our current house, we have a two year established wisteria that we considered splitting and moving. When Sensei nixed that idea, I tried to find some local nurseries with wisteria for sale. Wrong time of year. (Guess it's a spring/fall thing.). Then, as we really considered the solidity of the portico, we began to rethink the wispiness of the wisteria.

Our neighbors have a wonderful patio with what looked like a thin twisted trunk tree that had beautiful green oval leaves and big orange flowers. We suspected it was a trumpet vine of some tree-like variety but could not find anything online to confirm our suspicions. Finally, I stopped by when our neighbor was outside and asked her. Sure enough, it's a trumpet vine. Pure and simple.

She claimed that it just grew up that way all by itself, mentioning that it is messy, since the big flowers plop down on her deck, but are easily swept away due to their size. When she added that hummingbirds love them, I was hooked. Sensei had found a plant at the Asheville farmer's market, so he brought it home and we planted it next to the post so that it could begin to settle in this year. Since he is recovering from foot surgery, the plant will have 3-4 weeks of peace before we return to disturb the quiet of our new space.

The Swarm Part 2

About 21 days AFTER the Swarm Part 1, Sensei was, once again working on the house. This was about 10 days after we had decomissioned the heat pump along the side of the house, next to the infamous camilia (which is supposed to be hard to grow in the mountains, so we preserved it through every bit of painting, window installation, metal bending, etc. cursing each time we had to hold it away from the house and climb around and through its scratchy branches. It's thriving though!!). We sold the pump and the furnace to a guy working on affordable housing, so they found good homes.
The reason the timing is important is because during those 10 days, approximately 10,000 honeybees gathered near that spot and began to create a cone/hive. This humming was equally loud (but less threatening, since he wasn't staying there at the time). The swarm inside the house occurred the same way with the same number of casualities.
I called Extension Services for help. They gave me 4 numbers of local beekeepers who often assisted people like us with bee swarms. This was on a Friday afternoon and I left messages or spoke to each person and none of them was in a position to help us. They wished us well and we swept up more bees.
On Monday, we received a call from a local pastor who was one of the people who was sorry not to be of help on Friday. His hives had all been full at the time. Over the weekend, some cold weather had killed one of his colonies and he had room for ours!! We were sorry for his loss but anxious to find a good home for our collection!!
We'll post a slide show of that event (soon) when the bees were swept off their feet (all together in a clump) and moved to a happy hive. Ah, the natural world is so fascinating!! I so enjoy it when it stays outside!!

The Swarm Part 1

Around Easter, Sensei was camping out at the house for a few days. On his last day there, he heard this loud humming in the room he'd used for sleeping. When he lifted the tarp flap, (no walls, it was cold, it kept the heat from the propane fireplace in) and discovered 1,000 bees swarming against the door wall. Even when he managed to open one side, he could not get them to leave. These Kamikaze bees were bent on self-distruction, to the point that they didn't even notice him when he entered the room.
He called Terminex for their opinion and they said they were endangered honeybees and they couldn't do anything to them. It didn't matter, they all died in a sad pile on the floor and we swept them up later. So strange!