Daniel Buck Construction | Green Building Santa Fe

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BUCK CONSTRUCTION - ZERO NET ENERGY HOMES

Daniel Buck Construction will start the first of its ZERO NET ENERGY HOMES this year, being built in the price range of $450,000 to $1.5M.

The key energy components of a ZERO NET ENERGY HOME are:

  • A tight building envelope, where the wrap of floors, walls and roof have a high R-value and control the leakage of air. Particular attention is paid to the intersection of any two planes (e.g.: ceiling and wall), as this is an area where discontinuities in insulation can easily and do frequently occur.
  • Quality of manufacturing and installation of windows and doors as very critical parts of the building envelope.
  • Intelligent design for natural heating (the sun) in the winter and natural cooling (day/night temperature swings) in the summer..
  • Appropriate and minimal use of utility-provided energy for heating and/or cooling needs (efficient, correctly-sized equipment with sophisticated controls to minimize use).
  • Efficient use of electricity for lighting and appliances, selecting the best of Energy Star rated components to perform as required with the least amount of electricity. This would include design for optimum natural lighting, while addressing potential heat loss through windows and skylights.
  • Sufficient excess electrical energy produced on site (with sun and wind) and sold back to the utility to offset the energy purchased from the utilities — NET ZERO (or better).

In addition to the energy component, NET ZERO ENERGY HOMES incorporate other green features::

  • Properly designed and run ventilation to maintain the requisite number of air changes per day for a healthy living environment.
  • Siting of the house to work best with the natural elements and to integrate effectively with the larger community.
  • Water usage through catchment, efficiency and re-use.
  • Choosing materials with consideration of durability and carbon footprint.
  • The general education and understanding of the systems by the occupants to optimize their opportunity through their living habits.