Palo Alto, CA (PRWEB) April 17, 2006
Clarum Homes, California's largest Zero Energy Home developer, announced today the opening of its newly constructed Borrego Springs Zero Energy Demonstration Project and the launch of an innovative program to share project data with the green building industry.
The project, developed by Clarum in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Program, ConSol, and Davis Energy Group, consists of four demonstrations homes in an extreme desert climate that utilize a mix of innovative zero energy technologies to study their energy efficiency and affordability. These zero energy technologies include state-of-the-art wall, cooling and solar electric systems. The homes, designed with a goal of 90% energy reduction, will be tested for energy efficiency continuously over the next twelve months; the results of which will be shared with builders, manufacturers and municipalities throughout the United States.
“Innovation is a cornerstone of the green building industry and we believe that by sharing the data from the Borrego Springs, California project that we can help reduce the time it takes to make new zero energy technologies economically viable for builders,” said John Suppes, founder and president of Clarum Homes. “With President Bush's recently announced Advanced Energy Initiative, it's important now, more than ever, for the industry to come together to drive the adoption of new energy efficient building products.”
As part of the Borrego Springs Zero Energy Demonstration Project, the demonstration homes have been built with a number of new and innovative energy efficient products; in particular, the demonstration homes were built with three different types of wall systems — Styrofoam T-MASS, Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) and High Efficiency 24″ o.c. Optimum Value Engineered (OVE) Wood Framing. In addition to the three wall systems, the homes, which share the same floor plan, were equipped with three different cutting edge cooling systems: two of the homes feature Speakman 2 stage evaporate coolers; the third home has a Freus water cooled condenser and AC; and the fourth home features a Lennox 20.5 SEER AC. All of the homes feature 3.2 kW Kyocera photovoltaic solar systems and exterior shade screens.
“Over the next twelve months, we are confident that the data collected will validate the effectiveness and affordability of the many innovative products utilized in the construction of these demonstration homes,” stated Rob Hammon, PhD, project energy consultant and principal of ConSol. “The test data will be of benefit not only for Zero Energy Home development in extreme desert temperatures like Borrego Springs, but also in more moderate climates around the United States.”
The Building Industry Research Alliance (BIRA), the Davis Energy Group (DEG) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will work closely with Clarum and ConSol to evaluate the performance of each of the homes to identify the most cost effective energy features.
Project Goals for the demonstration homes include:
Design and build highly energy efficient sustainable production housing for entry level buyers
Achieve up to 90% energy reduction in cooling
Build energy efficient homes with highly sustainable characteristics while meeting Zone 4 structural requirements
Collect data on cost, construction schedule, production feasibility, lifecycles and quantified energy savings
Study date to determine cost effectiveness of sustainable technology applications
Run tests prior to occupancy and for 12 months after move-in to evaluate energy efficiency for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Publish updated evaluations and efficiency data at http://www.clarumzeroenergy.com for builders, manufacturers and municipalities.
A special preview tour of the project site for local and regional officials, as well as, media, will take place on Tuesday, April 25, 2006, in Borrego Springs. For more information on the preview event or the project, please visit http://www.clarumzeroenergy.com.
About Clarumt
Clarum Homes is a family-owned development company devoted to building exceptional new home communities and apartments in California. Clarum's mission of building sustainable communities began in 1999 when they began installing solar electric systems in their homes as standard equipment. Clarum Homes is now recognized nationwide as a leader in green building. In 2002, Clarum introduced the Enviro-Home™, its own Zero Energy Home prototype. A perfectly designed blend of innovative construction technologies, unsurpassed energy efficiency and the use of sustainable materials, this home was a breakthrough for Clarum Homes, and for the entire homebuilding industry. The Enviro-Home™ minimizes the use of resources, reduces harmful effects on the environment, creates healthier and more comfortable living spaces, and provides savings on utility bills. The overwhelming response to the Enviro-Home™, and Clarum's strong commitment to the environment, have prompted Clarum to continue building the Enviro-Home™ in all of its communities. The Clarum Homes family and management team are a dedicated group of professionals with an in-depth understanding of green building and decades of combined homebuilding experience. Clarum uses this experience to design the most attractive communities possible, to build the highest quality and most innovative product, and to provide impeccable customer service. For more information on Clarum, visit http://www.clarum.com.
About ConSol
ConSol is celebrating 25 years as the leading developer of energy solutions for production builders. Its services include mechanical engineering, energy code compliance, ComfortWise
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