Modular Green Building Oakland
Who moved my cheese?
Zeta communities is a new type of construction company. ZETA is building modular homes in a factory in Sam Leandro CA. that are net zero, that means over the course of a year ZETA buildings’ energy production and occupant consumption of energy nets to zero. It does this by combining advanced energy efficiency technology with grid-tied photovoltaics and other clean energy sources. Affordable, good quality construction, stylish and green. Could this be the future of construction?
This Flagship home is certainly a very interesting concept and for a green plumber, its a treasure trove of new technology.
Jessik Installing Air Tap
Hot water for this two bath home is generated from a 30 Gallon electric water heater powered by a photo-voltaic solar array. To boost the hot water supply, a heat pump from Air-Tap is attached to the water heater. The heat pump, uses a compressor to absorb heat from the surrounding air, it then dumps this heat through long copper tubes that disperse this heat into the tank. This helps to boost the delivery of the tank, a conventional 2 bath home would require a 40 or 50 Gallon tank, this 30 Gallons with the heat pump is adequate as the shower heads are all ultra low flow (1.59 Gallons per minute) and low flow aerators are attached at the faucets.
Furthermore, the incoming water to the water heater passes through a Waste Water Heat Recovery Heat Exchanger. In this show case home, a glass panel in the wall shows the inner workings of the plumbing system. The heat recovery is achieved from a copper tube wrapped around the waste pipe from the bathroom on the floor above. As the hot water from the tub or shower runs down the drain, its heat is absorbed by the cold water entering the water heater. The warmer the water entering the water heater, the lower the temperature differential, the less energy is needed to heat the water. This type of heat recovery is especially viable in a commercial bathroom such as a gym or spa where the showers are running for long periods of time.
Waste Plumbing Heat Recovery
Another green plumbing design feature in this contemporary, stylish home is the central plumbing core. The bathrooms and kitchen and water heater are all designed around a central wall, all in close proximity to each other. This simple idea, which is a LEED and Green Point Rated requirement, saves energy and water by making sure that hot water is available at the fixture very quickly without running gallons of water down the drain. I cannot tell you how many homes I am in that have the water heater in the garage and the master bath 200 feet away at the other end of the house. They either have a recirculating pump burning electricity, or they drain gallons of water before there is a small temperature rise at the faucet.
Heat for this home is provided by a passive heat recovery ventilator which sucks fresh air from outside and passes it through a heat exchanger that is heated by the air being expelled from inside. The inside air is warm from body heat and electrical appliances within the home. Although this type of heat does not work in conventional construction, this building is super insulated with very tight construction.
On the Green Building side, the home is made with sustainable materials and consciousness in the design to minimize waste and impact on the environment.
I have spoken with some tradesmen who dislike the idea of homes being built in a factory, it takes away from the artisan-ship of the trade. Personally, I enjoyed being involved with an exciting new project.