EARTH DAY INVITATION: The walls are up! You are invited to a MEDIA TOUR to walk through the Zero Energy Home. CALL 717-838-3668 to schedule!

H. R. Weaver Building Systems, Inc., launched a new website, www.projectzeroenergy.com to show the progress of the Zero Energy Home as it is being completed.

According to Chad Weaver, president of H. R. Weaver Building Systems, the website features links to the project details, photos of the home in process, partners who assisted with the construction, and a special link for media coverage.

“We designed the website to highlight the energy saving construction methods and the materials used in the construction,” said Weaver. “Our goal is to keep people updated on our progress so they can see this innovative home—the first in central Pennsylvania—maybe even Pennsylvania, as it is being completed.”

Weaver also noted that the technology used is affordable and available.

“The new legislation—the stimulus packages from both the federal and state—make solar energy possible to everyone if you have knowledge of the programs,” said Weaver. “When you review the programs, most homeowners will be able to purchase the energy savings technology and it will not effect the bottom line –your construction budget.”

The H.R Weaver Building team has been researching and designing the ZERO ENERGY HOME for nine months based on a theory that the home could be heated by a light bulb. The result was a plan for a 2,300-square-foot home with 15 rooms and a two-car garage nestled on a 5-acre lot.

“Zero energy doesn't mean a house uses no energy, it means the house combines on-site power generation with efficient structural materials to return a net zero utility cost,” added Weaver. “By producing green energy and avoiding fossil fuel consumption we create a living space that leaves little or no carbon footprint.”

“Think Weaver” is the slogan when thinking a building project. For more information, contact H.R. Weaver Building Systems at (717) 838-3753, or visit the offices at 47 Palmyra-Bellegrove Rd, Annville Pa. 17003.

The ZEH story continues. The trusses have been installed and the roof is now dry. Our windows and doors are in place. The staircases have been installed and our garage and porch floors are now poured. Our MEP contractors are in place roughing in the electric, plumbing and HVAC systems. The roofing and siding should be showing up any day now. The cabinetry has been ordered and the final bit of rough carpentry is being completed.

We are working on finalizing the solar array for ordering. The rainwater harvesting project is also underway.

Next stop…Greenhouse. We are designing a greenhouse/gardening shed combo to compliment the garden and orchard. There are so many different ways that this could go. The idea is to balance the homeowners’ needs with cost and aesthetics. Not too mention the small issue of time.

All in all, this project has been coming together like it was out of a textbook. Our suppliers and trade contractors have been exceptional. Our own crews have also been doing a phenomenal job.

Follow along as we continue our journey to Zero Energy…

June 13-21 will be this year’s parade dates. You can visit this home and another we are showcasing this year. The original goal of the parade was to move homes that builder’s had built but due to the economy were not selling. It has evolved into a showcase of what all the different builders are capable of. You could see everything from entry level townhomes to multi-million dollar estates. The homes are grouped into categories and judged. The winning homes receive awards for different features with the top prize being

Best in Show. That winner will grace the cover of the next years Parade Guide.

This year our focus was sustainability. You will be able to see this home function. You will also have the chance to walk through one of our more elaborate homes. We pride ourselves in our attention to detail and innovative designs. And now we can add to our portfolio one of the first Zero Energy/No carbon Footprint homes in the nation.

As some may already know we have a tight deadline for completing this home in time for the judging. We had a delayed start due to obtaining permits for sewer. We have a clock posted to show exactly how much time is left until we must put down our hammers and walk away. In order to be able to be judged the home must be complete and occupancy ready.

Follow along as we progress daily to completion…

Let’s sidestep a minute and discuss the benefits of having a home such as this. The zero energy concept has been around for quite a while. Some designers try to cram so much technology into their home that they eventually make the home so complicated and it inevitably becomes so expensive that it never gets built. We are a design/build contractor. That means we don’t get paid until we build the building. We can’t spend time designing a project that never gets built.

Our goal was to design a home that will fit into most people’s budgets and should fit into any neighborhood with little to no maintenance required by the owner. Yes, it does cost slightly more. Approximately 7-10% more by our calculations. But remember, the end result is to have NO utility bills. So the mortgage may be slightly higher, but not having to pay for your energy should result in a credit for the homeowner. So in other words, if your mortgage is $1600.00 per month and your gas or oil and electric bills are $400.00 per month you could now afford to pay $1700-1800.00 per month for your mortgage and enjoy the savings you are getting knowing that your energy is “free” and you are not putting out a carbon footprint.

The other benefit, not discussed, is the SREC certificates you receive monthly. They are a type of commodity that will generate revenue for you based on the efficiency of your system.

Let’s also not forget the rate caps are coming off next year. Our systems will insulate you from those increases.

No carbon footprint… no energy bills… no worries…

You really can’t afford not to do this…

http://www.wgal.com/video/19059929/

Thanks to all the visitors who came to our booth at the 2009 Lebanon Builders Show.

We enjoyed meeting and speaking to all of you. It started off a little slow on Tuesday, but by the last evening the booth was packed. For those of you who did not get a chance to stop by or for those wanting more information, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

Thanks again!

The Sun… It is the center of our Solar System. Energy from the Sun supports almost all life on Earth via photosynthesis, and drives the Earth's climate and weather. Imagine being able to harness that energy and turn it instantly into electricity that can be used to power our homes and businesses. Sounds complicated. Well, not really… Not if you have a solar cell. A solar cell is a device that turns sunlight into electricity. Groups of these cells make up a solar panel, and groups of the panels make up a solar array. The amount of electricity it will produce depends on the size of the array…among other things.

The direction at which the panels are facing, the angle at which they are placed, the amount of shading by other structures or obstructions all play a roll in determining the efficiency of the array. The size of the array depends largely on the amount of power you wish to produce and the available space you have for the array.

We have discussed how the earth can heat and cool our homes, and now we know how the sun can give us electricity. Isn’t nature amazing?

Complications and obstacles seem to go hand-in-hand with land planning nowadays. We scheduled to have the lot tested for a septic system late fall of last year. Before the engineer ever showed up the township called and said we must hook to city sewer based on their ordinances.

That’s when it got complicated. The first option was to pump up hill approximately 300’ (35’ higher than the house elevation), bore under a state road and go additional 100 feet or so to the nearest sewer line. The other option was to go down hill and hit a line on a lower street, but the land below our lot was already owned and occupied by homeowners. We spent months trying to find a homeowner who would let us run our sewer lateral through their yard to the sewer main. Finally a nice gentleman agreed to allow us through, but wanted us to bore under his property so as to not disturb his yard.

This was about our only option so we agreed. We had to bore about 130’ from our lot through his lot to the township right-of-way. Our lot was about 16’ higher in elevation from the existing elevation of the sewer main.

Geothermal… What is it? Expensive some would say. Well, by definition it is heat that comes from within the Earth. Imagine being able to harness the energy from within the earth to heat and cool your home or office.

The land below your home or office is full of energy to heat and cool your space. When connected, a geothermal heat pump will extract heat from the earth in the winter to heat your home and return heat to the earth in the summer for cooling.

Cost… Can you afford it? Equipment and ducting is comparable to any other forced air system. The additional cost is in any wells and drilling required. But if you already have a domestic well or if you need one in the case of a new build. Then that cost is negligible.

Efficiency… How would you like to heat/cool and have hot water for a year for $600-$800? Taking for granted a normal 2000 sqft. home. Others would be similar. What are you paying now? Another way to look at it is you would need to be buying your electricity at 1.9 cents per KWH, gas at 31.6 cents per gallon, or oil at 39.7 cents per gallon.

Still think it is expensive? Remember I said an entire year.

You really can’t afford not to do it…

A typical 2300 sqft. home usually takes us 4-5 months to build. That would be approximately 100 working days. Our homes usually have a-lot of details and complexity. Now take all of that, and then add to it new technology, new wall systems, etc. How long should it take? We have 71 days. That is correct. We must be finished before June 12^th. That is a feat in itself. One that isn’t given as much credit as it deserves. Scheduling, materials, personnel… Everything must be timed perfectly. And the ICF wall system is not as quick as conventional framing.

We dug the basement and poured the footers in 2 days. We formed and poured the basement walls in 3 days. We poured the basement floor and framed the first floor deck in another 2 days. We laid the garage, porch, and root cellar foundations… damp-proofed all the foundations and installed the first few hundred feet of the sewer line in another 3 days. We formed and poured the first floor walls in another 3 days. We now have the second floor deck and most of the garage and breezeway and some of the first floor interior walls framed. That took us another 2 days. Today we also have drilled the well for domestic and geothermal water.

Some would ask why we waited so long to start. Well, the sewer has held us up from the beginning. Our site has relatively no easy way to run sewer to the township main. Septic was not an option according to township guidelines. Neighbors understandably did not want to be bothered. Finally after exhausting all other options and literally months of effort, a kind neighbor granted us permission to use a strip of his property to run our sewer line. The challenge? We must bore under the entire length of his property as this is not enough room to bring equipment in due to trees and obstructions.

Stayed tuned as next comes the final level of our ICF system. Then we will follow with trusses and roofing.