Amazing home of a relatively well off single family got invited yesterday. There are staying there for +3 years now and had low utility bill coupled with high comfort levels. It was a big post COVID party and thus folks from their Norwegian company was also there. I picked their brains a lot and they were quite eager.
Its a basement - 1st. floor - 2nd. floor house approx. 3500 sq. ft per floor. Open basement. 1st and 2nd has 13 ft ceiling, basement 11 ft. Foyer is open to top. Attic on top, metal roof and heavily insulated with R60 (attic).
It has only 1 HVAC 98% furnace variable speed, modulating coupled with 16 SEER 3 ton AC for 1st floor only! It has a zone system which in summer opens the registers located high on ceilings (4" duct work - rigid). In winter registers located low on floor gets opened. 7" duct rigid. All ducts are thru internal walls.
1st. surprise: Every room has a return but the return is a bit custom grill looks concealed and it's 6' high on a wall, again internal. They said their science indicated creates a good air flow which matches a human's height. All returns are 8" rigid, again internal walls. In fact, in a bedroom with the door and window closed I could actually feel slightly a breeze! Amazing.
Here's where I was shocked.
They have a ERV connecting basement to 2nd. floor. Its a significant ERV. In winter, it pulls the air from 2nd. floor and releases it into the basement. The basement air is released into the 2nd. floor. No furnace, nothing.
In summer - the reverse happens. From basement into 2nd. floor and 2nd. floor into basement.
They also have a Santa something dehumidifier which dehumidifies the basement (in summer) and pulls in fresh air from outside. I saw probably 8 or 9" ducts for this.
They have a relatively small ventilator bringing in fresh air 65 CFM every 2 hrs. into 1st. floor and its connected to the 1st. floor HVAC. (Aprilaire).
This HUGE house has an astronomical low utility bills and the owner said it has NEVER happened in winter upstairs felt cold or in summer - basement felt hot! He said 90% of the time their family is in 1st. floor which is simply amazingly comfortable. Usually in NJ in summer electrical bills even with high efficiency tends to be in high 200 / mid 300 but upon asking he showed me. For 3 years (mind you - in pandemic they were all 24 x 7 home) it never crossed $150 in summer!!
Its a basement - 1st. floor - 2nd. floor house approx. 3500 sq. ft per floor. Open basement. 1st and 2nd has 13 ft ceiling, basement 11 ft. Foyer is open to top. Attic on top, metal roof and heavily insulated with R60 (attic).
It has only 1 HVAC 98% furnace variable speed, modulating coupled with 16 SEER 3 ton AC for 1st floor only! It has a zone system which in summer opens the registers located high on ceilings (4" duct work - rigid). In winter registers located low on floor gets opened. 7" duct rigid. All ducts are thru internal walls.
1st. surprise: Every room has a return but the return is a bit custom grill looks concealed and it's 6' high on a wall, again internal. They said their science indicated creates a good air flow which matches a human's height. All returns are 8" rigid, again internal walls. In fact, in a bedroom with the door and window closed I could actually feel slightly a breeze! Amazing.
Here's where I was shocked.
They have a ERV connecting basement to 2nd. floor. Its a significant ERV. In winter, it pulls the air from 2nd. floor and releases it into the basement. The basement air is released into the 2nd. floor. No furnace, nothing.
In summer - the reverse happens. From basement into 2nd. floor and 2nd. floor into basement.
They also have a Santa something dehumidifier which dehumidifies the basement (in summer) and pulls in fresh air from outside. I saw probably 8 or 9" ducts for this.
They have a relatively small ventilator bringing in fresh air 65 CFM every 2 hrs. into 1st. floor and its connected to the 1st. floor HVAC. (Aprilaire).
This HUGE house has an astronomical low utility bills and the owner said it has NEVER happened in winter upstairs felt cold or in summer - basement felt hot! He said 90% of the time their family is in 1st. floor which is simply amazingly comfortable. Usually in NJ in summer electrical bills even with high efficiency tends to be in high 200 / mid 300 but upon asking he showed me. For 3 years (mind you - in pandemic they were all 24 x 7 home) it never crossed $150 in summer!!
source https://hvac-talk.com/vbb/threads/2240635-Amazing-home-(NJ)-went-to-yesterday-Architected-by-Europe-Norway-Arch?goto=newpost
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