Conference Call Thursday, September 10, 2009

8:30a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Kevin, Cameron, Brent, Jeff, Hans, John, Michael, Emmanuelle,

Jeff will issue the designs for bidding on September 11, 2009, and will allow 2 weeks for pricing. Once all bids are received, coordination between systems will take place.

Water Catchment:

Cameron identified the pump and tank location, but needs to provide schematic drawings in order to have an accurate cost estimate.

On Site Waste Water System:

The current septic was designed for peak flow with infiltrators adequate for a 6-bedroom house (2 people per bedroom). The permit was issued for a 2-chamber 1,250 gallon tank. A 1,500 gallon tank would have been preferable, but since the permit has already been issued, an additional tank upstream should not be needed. Once the leach field is repaired and topsoil added it should be largely sufficient. John will apply for a repair permit with an experimental component for the wetlands.

The wetland will be about 480 to 520 square feet. A standard pump, using less than one hp will be placed after the wetland to pump water for irrigation

Action Items:

1. All drawings should be sent to Jeff labeled as Design for Bid, dated September 11, 2009, and paged appropriately, in addition to company logos.

2. Cameron will provide the pump electrical specs to Brent. Cameron and Lisa will provide water catchment schematic drawings asap.

3. John will provide the electrical specs of the pump he is intending to use to Brent.

4. Michael, Lisa and Emmanuelle will review the current aquaculture tank design and provide a cost estimate within the next two weeks.

Minutes – Conference Call Sept. 3rd, 2009

Conference call Thursday, September 3, 2009, 8:30- 9:15 a.m.

Michael, Jeff, Lisa, Emmanuelle

Lisa discussed the progress of the water catchment system, and the need for heat under the front of the green house to melt and collect snow during the winter. Brent suggested running a solar thermal loop to dump excess heat from solar panels.

Cameron and Lisa need another week to finalize drawings. The landscape design around the greenhouse, and monitoring of Elkstone Greenhouse throughout the winter will help fine tune the water catchment design.

Brent is done with his drawings, and Jeff is about done with the engineering.

Samples of different possibilities of planting bed walls are posted. Jeff suggested a structural cap wide enough to sit. Amy, Lisa, and Emmanuelle will review various possibilities.

Question for Brent: Would it be acceptable to run the geothermal pipes through the garage, which would be more direct? On the current drawings, they are shown outside?

Next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 11, 8:30 a.m. All the drawings should be submitted to Brent. The entire team is invited to join the meeting and give a brief explanation of respective designs.

wall options:

Wall options:

There are many wall options out there, here are just a few examples. There are a few things to consider as we have curvy walls and so only a certain amount of materials will take this form easily. We also have the concern of bed space and need walls which are thin 4-6 inches at the most. The walls are also in a wet moist environment, and will need to be of a good material.

A few more ideas that are not represented above would be a flat metal wall with shapes of colored sheet metal added as a collage on top, mimicking tile and adding color. a concrete stem wall with a covering of your choice, american clay plaster for example, an earth wall, etc... I am still collecting images as I don't feel we have found the perfect solution yet. I keep scouring the hills of san francisco to find options too( as there is alot of retaining and space maximizing).

Minutes from 08.18.09

Participants: Kevin, Jeff, Brent, Emmanuelle, Jerome, Michael, Lisa

Date: 08.18.09

Summary of Discussion:

1. Water Catchment 

After careful review, we will have two separate systems: One on the east side of the house and one in front of the greenhouse. The east collection tank will be installed once the greenhouse tank is installed and we determine our water needs. This will be phased  and given time to be refined.

Presently we  need to know water usage inside and outside. Neil is tracking water use for the summer and the fall,  before and after irrigation. We should have a good sense of water usage by winter.

Over the next few months we need to figure out  current irrigation zone with TJ and determine our approach with the new landscape.

Lisa will also monitor water use at Elkstone Farm greenhouse , to decide on needs and interior system pumps, as they are having challenges with the gravity fed system. 

Cameron and Lisa will work on sizing the lower tanks to be ready for digging in the springs, and will coordinate with solar thermal.

Jeff will need information for final drawing to provide pricing as early as possible. Lisa and cameron will estimate tank size and a range estimate for the systems.

2. Energy 

1)Updated energy calculations are completed. The only other outstanding issues are any electrical requirements for catchment?

               -have allotted a limited number of contingency yearly (800) kWH

2)Current PV array size 15.7 kW dual axis including LED and lighting updates, allowing 1/2kw panels for contingencies. steamboat has an average of 240 days of sunny days, geothermal still has to be sized for peak load with 15 wells.

The cost of installation for 15 holes is too high. Kevin would like no more than 10 holes. We May need 200-400 gallon storing tank for solar thermal in addition to 200-400 gallon storing tank for geothermal.Kevin and Amy are very much willing to adjust their use of appliances and hot water to minimize peak load. Already they do not use multiple showers at the same time. Brent thinks that 10 wells might be reasonable (the TC test could also allow for lesser holes). Solar thermal 7 feet hight by 25 feet to fit on southern roof side.

3)Geo Loopfield Maximum is at 15 vertical wells (includes the peak for hot water, and limited Greenhouse heating). 

Vertical holes will fit, need to coordinate with landscaping

               -as low as 10 without peak hot water needs

               -48 evacuated cylinders will generate enough yearly hot water BTU’s, but some days are cloudy, especially in winter

               -242/365 average sunny days/year = 1/3 time will rely on boiler/geo therefore 15 wells are recommended

               -TC test may yield better numbers – shall we schedule for this fall?

4)Any other electrical needs?  Final call before I forward numbers to Susan.

 

5)Coordinate all services & piping with all other specialties

               -schedule?

Brent would like to produce final  set of schematic drawings for more accurate estimates,  so that solid numbers are there to jump off of. 

 3. Climate Battery Design

Michael reviewed drawings, there is also a radon detector... Jerome suggests that air is moving so much that is not a problem. But it it is not much cost to include a radon detector. Jeff recommends putting in the radon detector

Control panels will be specified through Wadsworth,  controls as they will be to combine all and control with a small computer. Jeff likes the cleanness and simplicity and is much more straight forward. 

Shade panels are necessarry for extreme temperatures, shade during hot days and insulate during cold days.

Planting walls could be built with metal, concrete and/or  mesh and stucco/plaster, which could be covered with tile. Longevity, toxicity and maintenance will need to be considered.

3 drawings 

4 intake raisers

3 exhaust risers

Action items:

1. Brent will provide drawing for 100% in about 2 weeks. 

2. Lisa and Cameron will submit a draft schematic designs for watercatchment for the s

3. Emmanuelle will schedule a visit Elkstone Farm to view shades, walls and planting

4. Lisa will provide material's collage for planting bed wall by Sept 1st

Agenda August 18th, 2009

Agenda August 18th , 2009

1. Water Catchment: (15 min) Lisa will review conversations with Cameron, Jeff and Neil. Discussion will include indoor and outdoor water consumptions. We will also discuss catchment design with two system specific areas and future use.

2. Energy: (15 min) Brent will provide an update on The following:

a) Updated energy calculations

b) Pv array sizing

c) Geothermal

d) Other electrical needs

e) Coordination with other specialities/scheduling?

3.GreenHouse: (15 min) Michael will review new climate battery design( 15min)

4. MISC/Questions: (15 min)

Climate Battery Design

Here are drawings for the Greenhouse Climate Battery, pricing and construction. We should discuss the planting bed retaining design, which is only hinted at in these specs as a vertical flagstone system. The design we developed for the Elkstone greenhouse is of corrugated metal planting bed walls, with special brackets that are buried in the beds. If you've seen these and like them, we can add that detail to the drawings.

Download 24x36 Drawings

Conference Call Scheduled for 8:30a.m. mst Tuesday August 18th

Proposed Agenda:

1.      1. Water Catchment – Lisa

2.     2. Energy Load – Brent

3.     3. Greenhouse Design – Michael

4.     4. Misc.

 

Meeting: July  29, 2009

Participants: Kevin, Jeff, Hans, Brent, Cameron, John, Michael, Jerome, Lisa

Summary of Discussion: Basic review of  two catchment senarios

Scenario A: Tuesday Map

Pro's: 

most direct route of water to tank

utilizing natural low point in driveway

Minimal disturbance of utilities and native vegetation

greenhouse tank is lowest point on the property 

ties in with thermal mass of structure 

Con's: 

cost prohibitive? we need to find cost of asphalt cut? piping costs?

driveway disturbance

needs more noodling/egineering of how pipe meets new green house stem wall

tank underneath may be difficult to repair

Scenario B: Bud's Plan

could not get to upload please check you email to view!

Pro's: 

utilizes natural drainage

only disturb native vegetation

cost effective

tanks all together

Con's:

disturbs native vegetation

going around the horn, longer run

cautious about utilities

loss through evaporation/run time

note: Wetland will be the same either option. We can decide where to locate wetland cell that will look good aesthetically and function well. 

other points raised during discussion:

Timing: what timing is best for soil cut/fill, tanks?,as builts to facilitate precautions for catchment tanks? Hans had a great suggestion of saying it is for back up truck  water delivery in case of drought. What would be the order of digging?

Labeling: it will be necessary to put potable water /non potable water for health department

Trampoline: Would it make sense to coordinate with earth works? Where would we like it located?

Tank suggestions: drivable tanks were concrete sprayable poly urea?/ or matrix systems. There are also custom tanks. A pre made self contained  tank is more cost in materials( cost/sq ft, tank itself) and is much less in labor.  An onsite tank with matrix or custom build is less in materials (  cost/sq ft) but more in labor. 

Drip lines and drainage catchment: would be important to line the ditches with beno mat or other liner under landscape so as not to let water penetrate. We may use some natural raincatching techniques on the south side of the driveway to utilize water in the landscape. we like to utilize drip lines to the south and north of main door for direct landscape use.

Keep it Simple: Jerome suggested keeping it simple with greenhouse catchment and landscape catchment separate. also we need to look at the water needs both long term short term.

ACTION STEPS:

1. Cross section of a ditch from john and cameron

2. Evo to get cameron current and projected landscape water usage

3. review two options for landscape catchment scenario A and B

4. goals break out  session tuesday with jeff, hans, kevin, lisa

5. john will send sketches 

6. lisa will post all options

7. all numbers estimates for projects need to be in by august 30th

Note: Brent, Kevin and Jeff spoke after this call

attached is ditch sketch from john during the meeting 

Green Daly Team:

Here is a copy of the schematic that came out of our site meeting with Bud (Potential Excavator).

Jeff

Minutes – Conference Call July 16th

8:30-8:50 a.m.

Kevin, Jeff, Hans & Emmanuelle

The front door will be installed Thursday.  The blower test could be scheduled with Chad shortly after.

Hans will contact a solar installer from Vail to obtain another bid.

Cameron, John, Jeff, and Lisa will meet on Monday, July 27^th and 28^th 

^{to design/review the water-catchment and grey-water systems.}

 

 

Minutes – Conference Call July 9th

Conference call July 9th, 8:30 -10:30a.m.

Michael, Jeff, John & Emmanuelle

Survey

The survey will cost about $3,000-3, 500 and will be conducted next Monday and Tuesday, and electronic files provided the following Monday (1foot contour).  The survey areas include the hill around the 1^st infiltration gallery, around the wetlands, above the driveway where the geo fields might be located, the eastern side of the drainage ditch for water catchment purposes –from the cul de sac down the drainage, and around the aspen grove to the east end of where the solar array will be.

Aquaculture Tank

Gerome thinks that a 30inch deep tank will be sufficient to do aquaculture.

Michael believes that the tank will need to be drained and cleaned only every 3 years, and can be done manually by scooping everything out and carrying the slush in buckets to the planting beds.

The fish tank should never smell as the plants and fish balance every thing out.

Constructed wetlands

In drought when water has not be harvested much, we might have the option to manually pump the overflow up from the wetland. A tank below the wetland can be fed by gravity and drain with a spigot in the summer. 

Could the water also be used in the winter if pipes are buried low enough?

Water filtering area:

Behind the aquaculture tank, the rectangular area could be utilized for a filtration system inside the green house (the recessed area is about 4’ by 10’ and 30’’ deep; whereas the tank is 5’ by 17’ and 30’’deep). John suggested using a pond filter kit with a vertical flow constructed wetland and preassembled pump and filter, as in an aquarium.

The area is also sufficient to do a loop system that will keep the tank fresh.  A water feature/fountain could be installed with an aerator using the concept of a natural pool/waterfall with trickling water, which would also sound very nice!

The 4 by 10 area could be segmented, a portion for the waterfall, the other to filter ammonia and fish waste. The pump could be run by a separate solar panel, which would run only when the sun is out, and therefore not interfere with the house electric load.

Michael plans for the tank to have a rubber liner from Growing Spaces. John is also looking at using a spray-on material to line the tank, which can also be used on the green roof.

Climate Battery

The climate batteries transfer energy from the air to the soil beds, including the deeper soil bed under the mezzanine. The color-coated tubes refer to elevation; the yellow tube will be placed first, then backfilled, then the green tubes, the turquoise tubes, etc.  The red tubes go from an intake to an outtake riser with a fan.  In order for the system needs to be balanced, the tubing should not exceed 35 feet to avoid loosing too much heat and moisture.

We will probably use tubing with a mesh cover to avoid soil infiltration, particularly fine sandy soils.

The sound impact from the vents will not be bad- a larger exhaust manifold will reduce the sound.  Generally the fans in the summer will function earlier than in other seasons; we want the fans to turn on and come up to 45F and then when temperature passes 55F, to go down. 

Michael is in the process of revising the views. He will reduce tubing under the mezzanine, add more tubes between west planting beds and mezzanine, and simplify the design and color code.

Irrigation System

The irrigation system will be connected to tap water on an irrigation timer, with valves corresponding to different zones, and will also be tied to supplemental water.

The water catchment system will capture water from the driveway, roof and eastern portion of the property behind the garage. A storage tank out of the septic tank into the wetland infiltration gallery will also provide supplemental water for

irrigation and green house purposes.

Both systems should be connected and overflowing addressed.

A small gravity tank inside the greenhouse could be useful.

Action Items

1. John will keep us updated with his is research on a “green liner” to be used for the tank and for the wetlands.

2. Michael will provide irrigation schematic (details on layout of drip line to be provided by Lisa or Gerome later).

Michael will post a revised design of the climate batteries to view before next conference call.

 

 

 

 

Climate Battery Views

There is a bit of fine-tuning we'll do before we document the tubing layout for the Construction Documents this month, but here are a few views of where the layout is at the moment:

Minutes - Conference call July 07

Conference Call 07-02-09  8:30-9:30a.m.

Kevin, Amy, Jeff, Brent, Michael, Hans & Emmanuelle

Climate Batteries:

Michael has almost completed the climate batteries design, which will require a 12 inch exhaust riser in the island bed or in the floor of the mezzanine with a grate on top so that is doesn’t stick up (Marilyn style!).

Jeff and Michael have visited about the design for a 5feet deep aquaculture, which would require a deeper foundation.  A 30-inch deep tank might be sufficient for a variety of fish species, and the tank is far enough in that it does not get much direct sun and would not overheat.

Insulation:

The house is completely sealed up apart from 2 garage doors, which Hans will insulate while he installs the front door -which should arrive july17th and be ready to install the last week of July.

Chad could come to do a blower door test at the end of July or August 1^st.

Geothermal/Solar:

Brent completed a new energy simulation taking into account all suggestions to shave electrical usage on geothermal equipment, lights -with Ledtronics bulb replacement-, and eliminating the 2 wine units, hot tub, appliances, cutting almost 10,000kw and bringing down the array to 15,000k dual axis.

Brent was able to shave 3-4,000kw with the geo equipment by using a better heat pump and compressor. The simulation does not include any load reduction from the tighter existing envelope.

Brent sent Ledtronics led lamps to Jeff to compare spectrum, color, wattage and luminosity.

Brent thinks that the soils’ values will be within 5 to 10% of estimated values. The final design will be easy to adjust by eliminating a hole or half loop.

The attic has an average of 12inches of cellulose insulation, which provides an R43 value and would not significantly reduce heating loads by adding insulation. Later improvements of electronic equipment might lower the load by 100 to 1,000kw but will not have a large impact.

We need to look at the infrastructure required to go to a battery backup system as a future option –location, size and cost.

Scheduling:

Hans thinks that it is realistic to schedule the foundation for early fall, and thinks it would be beneficial to move forward with construction asap while prices are competitive and contractors are available.

Jeff also thinks that the upstairs should be closed in before winter. The green house should also go up fairly quickly, and could be built soon after.

We should try to obtain bids from 3 different contractors for each major system supplier as soon as plans are finalized.

Watercatchment:

Two large water catchment storage tanks from the southern wetland area and one in the upper area could be installed, with the option to pump from the lower to the upper tank. Runoff from a variety of contaminated sources such as the driveway could also be filtered by an additional filtration pool next to the aquaculture system.

The design and planning for water catchment and heat sink tanks to be coordinated simultaneously in order to maximize excavation time and use of space.

Brent is planning for a 3 to 400gallon tank containing water for the solar thermal system, which could be stored in the mechanical room.  This tank could be as small as 100 gallons.  Final calculations should allow us to determine the optimal size.

Polycarbonate:

Jeff is in the process of restructuring the green house with 32mm panels, which will provide U-Value of .25 and a VLT of 73% –While 40mm has a U-Value of .19 and a VLT of 71%, it is not available in the US.

Action Items:

1. Michael will ask Gerome about the depth of the tank necessary to have several kind of fish. How much more life could it sustain?

2. Jeff will get with Michael Ehrlich and determine the difference in cost between 5’ or 30’’ deep tank.

3. Hans will try to expediate the shipping and installation of the 3point lock on the front door.

4. Hans will price Ledtronics lightbulbs and research rep in the area.

5. Amy and Kevin will look at Ledtronics light sample upon return.

6. Brent and Susan will provide parameters and estimates for a battery bank.

7. Brent and Hans will coordinate to schedule 2^nd blower door test with Chad asap.

8. Emmanuelle and Lisa will schedule for a site visit to design water catchment system mid-July, and provide an estimate for wetland construction system.

9.  Hans/Brent/Jeff will start selecting contractors and obtain 3 bids as soon as survey is obtained and each project design is finalized.

Thanks for the review Jeff!

Agenda Weekly Conference Call 07.02.09 8:30 a.m.

1. Update from Brent on geothermal, LED Lighting, solar thermal, etc.
2.            Update from Jeff on conversation regarding water catchment and grey water systems with Cameron and John, and structural progress.
3.       Update from Michael on subterranean mechanical system. 
4.       Misc.

Action steps from Weekly conference call 06.25.09

Brent needs to finalize the geo numbers to make sure the field fits.

 Find competitive geothermal contractors and equipment.

 Look at Ledtronics led bulbs.

Jeff is pricing the structure including the cost of 25 and 45mm polycarbonate panels.

John, Cameron, Lisa and Emmanuelle will start to design the rain water system.

John, Lisa and Emmanuelle will provide a proposal for the constructed wetland septic system.

Action Steps from 06.26.09

Conversation with John Grove, Cameron Scott, Jeff Gerber, Lisa Benjamin

1.  Jeff will coordinate and modify a 1' contour scaled survey of existing conditions and add in proposed structure and grading so we have a model to work with

2. John and Cameron will coordinate on the hydraulic systems

3. The water and enegry component will be looked at by all

 

Meetings minutes 06.26.09

Meeting Minutes: 06.26.09

Participants: John Grove, Cameron Scott,  Jeff Gerber, Lisa Benjamin

Summary of Discussion

we had a general conversation about the existing conditions and what we wanted to create.   We also looked at what was possible in terms of coordinating the rainwater catchment with the wetland cell systems and how we could connect them using gravity. We have plenty of roof space and a driveway to catch from. Both driveway and the roof are constructed of asphalt which does hold some quality concerns

Jeff discussed roof materials and surfaces so that we could get a sense of the health of the collected water. Also which water would be used where such as driveway vs. roof.  All new drawings/ views with roof angles are posted on the blog.

We also discussed options for use and feasibility , we can look at bringing water into the house for toilets etc to just using it to supplement for irrigation.

For either option we would want to make sure that the storm water and roof catchment are appropriately filtered before brining into the house, greenhouse or  landscape irrigation.

Cameron brought up the point of sizing the system appropiately so if you do remodel at somepoint you can add interior systems such as toilet flushing.

We could do the interior water tank similar to a natural pool system with a mini cleansing wetland on the NE side. The water could then be used for irrigation for the beds picking up extra nutrients from the fish.

We discussed the need for a detailed survey and model of proposed structures and grading. We will also need to look into the energy and water relationships as we are already maxed out on loads for solar and are working toward net zero.

We also discussed the working relationship and agreed to be transparent and overlap or cross pollinate when necessary.

ACTION STEPS:

1.  Jeff will coordinate and modify a 1' contour scaled survey of existing conditions and add in proposed structure and grading so we have a model to work with

2. John and Cameron will  coordinate on the hydraulic systems

3. The water and enegry component will be looked at by all

Note:

Lisa will be gone until mid july emmanuelle is available for all coordination.

Conference Call Minutes -June 25, 2009

8:30a.m.- 9:30 a.m.

Kevin, Brent, Jeff, Hans, Lisa & Emmanuelle.

Geothermal System Sizing

Brent is working on selecting equipment/manufacturers that might help shave up to 1kw on the all system and 10-20% off the geothermal load. Bill Slauder installs horizontal systems for 10 to 20% less than the cost of vertical systems. 

There is sufficient space for a horizontal field, which can be landscaped.  A horizontal test cost about $5,000, a vertical test is $10,000 to $15,000.  The hole drilled for the test can be integrated into the actual loop.  Horizontal systems perform more efficiently than vertical systems.

Brent has data from a hybrid system of a home down Priest Creek near rabbit ears, however the difference in topography and geology, might change the TC value. Brent will be able to see the soil when we the holes are drilled for the test and get a good idea of the site conductivity.

Geothermal Downsizing and Upsizing of Solarthermal

The direction to go now should be to upsize the solar thermal portion and downside the geothermal. We will not have a netzero system but it maybe be a good way to provide a heat sink and avoid overheating. Larger geothermal will require larger storage tanks (a 3,000-4,0000 gallon storage is about the cost of a hole). 

The goal is to get less of a PV array. In the beginning, we may decide to install 2/3 of geothermal to avoid overheating, which would bring the home within 10% of being netzero. After evaluating consumption and boiler usage, the system will be adjusted.

Lisa mentioned the Rinaii on-demand electric or gas hot water heaters, which could be a good solution in place of the boiler, but would be redundant with the new boiler. 

Winterizing

Need to finish the calking that Chad suggested, the front door is ordered, then will be ready for the blower test.

Polycarbon

Brent ran the model for both 25mm and 45mm polycarbonate, 45mm shaved a million btu on overall load, and only 5,000btu/hour peak load. 

Lighting

Brent is exploring better equipment for appliances and lighting to fit within the sizing. Amy and Kevin are considering several lifestyle changes, including getting ride of the hot tub and using automatic light controls. 

LED lights can save up to 80%of lighting electric load. Brent saw the cans that could be used to replaced on the main level through access in the attic, however the process would be quite intrusive.  Ledtronics lightbulbs might be a better option.

Jeff is including two solar tubes in the kitchen, which should reduce the load considerably. Adding solar tubes in other high electric usage areas such as the office might also be a good option.

Jeff also found a couple of good system for framing the walls at the green house. 

Planting plan is too early to finalize, bed design and greenhouse function.

Action Items:

Brent needs to finalize the geo numbers to make sure the field fits.

Find competitive geothermal contractors and equipment.

Look at Ledtronics led bulbs.

Jeff is pricing the structure including the cost of 25 and 45mm polycarbonate panels.

John, Cameron, Lisa and Emmanuelle will start to design the rain water system.

John, Lisa and Emmanuelle will provide a proposal for the constructed wetland septic system

Posts for Water Catchment Discussion

Daly Project Team:

Here are some additional posts uploaded to the drawing web site for overall water management discussion.

Jeff

Agenda 06.25.09

Agenda 06.25.09

1. action items

2.energy

3.water

4.greenhouse/landscape

5. Misc

Action Items from 06.19.09: 

1. Everyone: List of sacrifices that could be made on:

Lighting, appliances, geothermal, hot tub and green house.

Share any technology you might be aware of to reduce energy load and create a better envelope.

2. Gerome, Lisa and Michael: Green house design with detailed planting design.

3. Michael: Mechanical drawings for Jeff to start converting conceptual drawings into construction drawings.

4. Brent: Contact person in Rifle regarding TC. Schedule TC test and model horizontal/vertical geothermal.

Contact YVEA, Jim Chappell, to locate nearest 3-phase power.

Size boiler.

5. Amy and Kevin: Visit light store to view LED lighting-luminosity and color-.

 

Michael,

Nice job on the electrical loads. It looks to be complete.

Susan Holland sent me a great article on trackers that I will e-mail to all. It seems that our site would lend itself best to electronic controls and sensors. They make a good point about adding the manual override. This could significantly reduce the lost power from electronic malfunctions.

Jeff

Greenhouse Electrical Schedule

The Greenhouse Electrical loads / schedules should be approximately as follows:

1 Climate Battery intake fans: Grainger Duct Booster 14”
a. Three total intake fans, Grainger Item #5C967, 1200cfm, 115V / 1.7amps / 122watts ea = 366 watts, max. total.
2 Water harvesting & distribution pump: “Little Giant Submersible Pumps”
a. Little Giant #PE-2.5F-PW – 475gph, 80 watts
3 Aquaculture tank fountain pump: “Fountain Pro Submersible Fountain Pumps”
a. Fountain Pro #WA170 Fountain Pump – 165gph, 12 watts
4 Aquaculture tank aerator: “Pondmaster Pond Aerators”
a. Pondmaster Aerator #AP-20, 1700 cu.in/min, 20 watts
5 Insulating Curtain automatic operation motors: (yet unknown)
a. estimated 200 watts
6 Lower & Upper vent window operator motors: (yet unknown)
a. estimated 100 watts
7 Lighting:
a. Max. 110V / 1.1 amps / 120 watts
8 Power outlet: temporary backup heating, portable music, appliances:
a. max. 110V / 9 amps / 950 watts;

These electrical loads constitute a total of 1848 watts, with everything on at full-use intensity.
1 The intake fans will be on during climatic extremes, when during the heat of the day or the cold of night. Summer use = 12.h/day, Winter use = 20.h/day
2 Water harvesting pump will be in use when rainwater tank is filling or full, probably no more than 2.h/day
3 Aquaculture tank fountain and aerator operates at the Owners’ pleasure, probably no more than 16.h/day
4 Aquaculture tank aerator operates probably no more than 12.h/day
5 Insulating curtain operation: twice per day, 10-minutes total
6 Vent window operation: twice per day, 10-minutes total
7 Lighting operation: hopefully no more than 15 min. / day
8 Power: temp heating rarely used, probably once or twice per year, 12.h/day

I did not include an Aquaculture Tank Heater, though one of these may require 200 watts, and run for 1.h/day when needed.

Minutes Conference call June 19

Conference Call Friday June 19  8:30-9:50 a.m.

Amy, Kevin, Jeff, Michael, Gerome, Brent & Emmanuelle

Update on Home Energy Rating System (HERS) analysis from Brent:

Analysis with existing building provided a HERS index of 89, which could get down to 77 by changing the boiler to a more efficient one.

With the addition of a 19kw, double access pv- array, and a more efficient boiler the HERS score drops to 33.

Then, with the addition of 3, 4X10 solar thermal-collectors, HERS score drops to 24.  Also, the original simulation used the load of a regular refrigerator, when updated with a current model, the score dropped by 1, bringing the score down to 23.

If 50% of the incandescent cans are converted to CFL (compact fluorescent), the score will drop to 20. This score could surely be lowered by switching to LED lights, but the current 2004HERS projection model doesn’t provide for this alternative (a CFL is about 50% less efficient than LED). 

With the geothermal system, the HERS goes down to 4 -almost netzero: producing almost as much energy needed-, 96%more efficient than a 2004 regular home.

Based on the most current floor plan including the addition and green house, and based on current and past usage, the system requires 40,000kw/year.  The array needs to be 19,000kw, with 7 or 8 towers (3kw/tower) to complete the electrical need.  The goal is to get down to 15-16kw.

We need to look at the five categories below to reduce the load:

Geothermal-heating hot water (40.5%of the total energy load: exactly 41, 0006kwhours), appliances (9.5%), lighting (33% of the total load), hot tube (11%), and green house (6%).

LED Lights:

LED light can save up to 80% of energy required for lighting: www.lightolier.com

Direct incandescent LED replacement: www.ledtronics.com

(might be as efficient but not as bright as LED fixture)

The energy required for lighting could considerably be reduced by changing 50% of the existing lighting to LED and use motion sensors.  It would take work to uncover cans, but access is good. Need to remove and replace the casing.

Skylight/tube:

Another way to cut artificial lighting in kitchen would be to install a skylight or light tube. Light tubes might be a better choice because of the attic above. Amy likes the idea of the light tube but is concerned that light tubes provide less light than skylights. Two tubes could possibly be installed within the existing trusses.

However, it might be less expensive would to retrofit the cans and install LED than using a skylight.  Also, skylights let energy out more than tubes do. In the winter, snow would accumulate on skylights, whereas snow would probably melt quickly on a tube that would be placed higher on the roof surface, would be composed of a black cylinder and concave top.

Polycarbonate Panels

If we change polycarbonate panels to a thicker honey-comb 25-35mm to 45 mm, the  U Value would increase from .3 to 19 (equivalent to R3 to R5 value). Michael thinks that the light transmission value would be affected but can be sacrificed for a net zero value. Brent believes that the thickness of the panels will not affect heat that match since the climate battery will heat the green house 90-95% of the time.

Geothermal:

8 vertical holes or possibly 7 would be the best scenario.  Kevin would like to know what it would take to get to 6? 

10-20% can be shaved for lighting and appliances.

The hot tub does not affect the geothermal number, electrical only.

Is it realistic to think that we can shave 20-30% of the heating load by replacing the front door, and doing other retrofits?

The geothermal load (btu load) is for Hot water and heating, in the even that the solar collectors don’t produce enough hot water, but the best investment remains the solar thermal collectors.

The Rinnai on demand gas water heater is a good system but would be redundant since the boiler will be there.

The only way to reduce the geo load is to get the envelope tighter, and to get a better value out of the soil. The average TC (thermal conductivity) is 1 value, however, a man in the Rifle area claims he can get 1.25.  For the analysis, Brent used a conservative PC value of .75 but believe that because of the humid soils and the area the PC value is probably higher.

Kevin would like to know if we should go horizontal or vertical. 8-10 vertical wells would occupy half of the area of horizontal wells. Horizontal geothermal is cheaper and nets the same output as vertical. Ti would require 9 strips 100feet long and 3 feet wide, and would approximately expand to a pit 40 feet wide by 100 feet. Brent will make a price comparison between 2 to 3 weeks.

Appliances:

The dishwasher and refrigerator are efficient and do not need to be replaced. The garage refrigerator could be replaced, and the small refrigerator by the pool and wine cooler could be turned off.  The washer and dryer could be replaced by more efficient ones (Asko).

The TV plasma screens and projectors require high energy but are not used very often, mostly the TVs in the kitchen and bedrooms are used a few time a week.

The TV, computers, etc. can be plugged into a power strip that will shut off all equipment and not use any idle wattage.

Heat pump/single phase/triple phase power:

Is there a heat pump that is more energy efficient than others? Limited but only a couple of companies that make a single phase power.

3-phase power could be used to run new electrical. Is there 3-phase power at the transformer near the house?

Solar:

The PV dual tracking array is 19kw. A 30% additional cost for tracking makes sense to get 30-40% return on investment. All the PV should be on trackers. The solar thermal will go on the roof –only 4 panels-.

Climate Batteries:

Michael could drop the water tank at the bottom of climate battery and create a water depth of 5 feet, high enough to swim with the carp…

Action Items: 

1. Everyone: List of sacrifices that could be made on:

Lighting, appliances, geothermal, hot tub and green house.

Share any technology you might be aware of to reduce energy load and create a better envelope.

2. Gerome, Lisa and Michael: Green house design with detailed planting design.

3. Michael: Mechanical drawings for Jeff to start converting conceptual drawings into construction drawings.

4. Brent: Contact person in Rifle regarding TC. Schedule TC test and model horizontal/vertical geothermal.

Contact YVEA, Jim Chappell, to locate nearest 3-phase power.

Size boiler.

5. Amy and Kevin: Visit light store to view LED lighting-luminosity and color-.

 

Grey Water Guerillas

Hi

Here are a few pictures from Laura's garden who is director of the Grey water guerillas in Berkeley, CA. She had a very simple system that reused all of their shower and  

sink water. It was composed of some d It was very hippy but worked very well and they were able to water 80% of their yard.  It is amazing what people are up to and taking a grass roots approach!

Cameron from Exteriorscapes and John Grove will be on site friday to evaluate and Design a Collaborative water system.( hopefully)

On-demand electric tankless water heater

Additional information about on-demand electric water heaters gathered from local electrician, Rob Orozco (Orozco Electric).

The Rinnai R75LSe Tankless Water Heaters should not be a problem with elevation/altitude or water temperature intake with low electrical demand -120volt-60hz-DC 12 volts controller (Normal: 50 watts, standby:2.0 watts, Anti-frost protection 100watts).  Delivers 7.5 gallons of hot water per minute. Maximum temperature 120or 140F with option of 160F setting. 

The site provides great info for homeowners and architects:

http://www.rinnai.us/tankless-water-heaters/r75lse/

The Rinnai would be a better choice than the Tempra24 which requires 2 independent 240V AC circuits protected by 2 separates 60amp breakers, requiring high electrical load.  The minimum recommended electrical service is 180amps for the 24 models and 300amps for the 36 model. Yet, an on-demand gas hot water heater might be a more efficient choice as a back-up system…

 

Meeting Notes: 06.10.09

Meeting Notes:

Participants: Jeff, Jerome, Lisa

Summary of Discussion:

Greenhouse Model:

Walked through model of greenhouse interior. All agreed looks and feels good in terms of aesthetics and function. Notes that interior wall would be all stone with nooks for orchids or small containers. The windows will also all be metal. This will provide longevity as wood will bow and react to the moisture. We also discussed adding planting racks along north wall and up the wall to the east of the window above planting area. adding space to store seedlings. On the mezzanine we would add built in shelves with a outdoor fabric curtain to allow storage and a neat appearance.

The seedling trays are 12"x21" and shelving can be attached to the wall. The aqua culture area was extended allowing for more visibility and ease of use. There will be room for a plant nook on the east side. here is a great microclimate for more moist tropicals and the same shelf orchid option. we also discussed making room near the venting on the far NE corner to be planted as well. These bed could be accessible with planks and we can design a rack system for items like water chestnut and water cress. 

Garden Mentors:

We discussed the important of having garden mentor. Jerome could host a 3 day training on the climate battery and plant stacking and timing. We can look at the community and see who would be a great fit for Daly project.  Thus enable the Daly's to learn as well as have a really productive greenhouse as so much if it comes from watching , paying attention and experience with the plants.

Water Catchment:

Lisa contacted Cameron Scott of Exteriorscapes. hoping to get him out the week of june 20th. He will start working with jeff and john to look at overall program and get back with an estimate for his involvement. also received estimate from John Grove will review and get to Kevin.

ACTION ITEMS:

1. Jeff will make adjustments

2. Jerome and Lisa will start to look at preliminary plant list from Amy

3. Jerome and Lisa will see about getting mentor program together this summer/ fall

4. Jeff and Michael will get together to discuss climate battery

5. Lisa will put Cameron and Jeff together to get Cameron up to speed on existing building characteristics

6. Lisa will review John's Proposal and get it to Kevin

Test

This is a test to see how the RSS feed is working.

Jeff

How to be notified of new blog posting

Jeff suggested researching a way to receive notification of new blog posting. Our computer technician recommends using a RSS reader rather than everyone's email address. Please find below instructions to setup a RSS reader for Green Daly and any other blog or web site you would like to receive updates from:

You can be notified of new posting from a blog or any web site by activating a RSS reader for you computer.  For quite some time now most of your favorite news site and blogs offer a RSS feed for you to subscribe too.  When you use a RSS reader with a RSS feed from your blogs or news sites it acts a lot like email.  You can choose to run your RSS reader and it constantly checks for new news and then provides links to that news.  No need go to all your favorite blogs or website to see if there is anything new.

How do you get started?  

First find a news reader for you system.  We have provide a list  below:

Web Based:

Google Reader - http://reader.google.com/

BlogLines - http://www.bloglines.com/

Mac:

Safari - Built in

Mail - Built in

NetNewsWire - http://www.newsgator.com/individuals/netnewswire/default.aspx

Windows:

RSS Gadget - Vista

Outlook 2007

FeedDemon - http://www.newsgator.com/Individuals/FeedDemon/Default.aspx

Linux:

Lifera - http://liferea.sourceforge.net/

Then go to your favorite news and blog sites and look for the RSS logo (usually on the right side of the address).  It will sometimes also look  like an orange icon with 2 curve bars and a dot.  If you are on a PC do a right click on it and copy the link.  If you are on a Mac hold down the control key and then click on it and copy the link.  Then go back to your RSS reader and paste in the link.  The RSS reader will take care of the rest and keep you up to date on blog posting and the current news.