$25 Members/$35 Non-Members

Attendees of this September event toured two very different projects: a newly constructed net-zero modular small house, designed to address housing needs in the wake of extreme weather events, and a 3 unit multi-family, originally built in 1870, which has recently been expanded and retrofitted to PHIUS standards.

Site 1

Representatives from Efficiency Vermont led the first portion of the event, which showcased a zero energy modular small (not tiny!) home. This particular ZEM modular is a traveling model home that demonstrates some of the latest high performance and healthy home strategies. The home is all-electric with a super-insulated air-tight envelope, battery storage, and environmentally preferable/healthy finishes. The unit moves every few weeks to a new location acting as a teaching tool and demonstrating a new approach to affordable housing that considers life-cycle costs, not just first costs. This initiative came out of Tropical Storm Irene where a disproportionate number of mobile homes were damaged.

Project Details

• Units: 1
• Square footage: 560
• Type of construction: New
• Super insulated envelope (R40/43/60/5)
• Cold climate heat-pump
• 4.5kW PV solar array
• Blower door test yielding<1.0ACH50

Site 2

This home is an urban infill project that features a 3 story addition to a pre-1877 duplex. The addition includes new space for the existing units and a third unit, which is the first Certified Passive House in Burlington,  and is modeled to be Net Zero Energy. The addition features foam-free construction, showcasing carbon-storing materials such as 6 1/4” thick fiberboard continuous insulation (Gutex), dense pack cellulose in the stud cavities and roof, and foam-glass (Glavel) below the slab. Other features include triple-pane tilt-turn windows and full house balanced ventilation with heat recovery (Zender).

Project Details

• Units: 3
• Square Footage: 4,000
• Type of construction: Mixed new + retrofit
• Embodied carbon calculations done to inform materials choices
• Limestrong lime plaster was used for accent walls
• Known and anticipated ratings include: PHIUS, HERS, DOE's ZERH (Zero Energy Ready Home), Indoor airPLUS, USEPA WaterSense, Efficiency Vermont High Performance Buildings, Energy Star

Tentative Schedule

If you have questions about this event, you can contact Florence at fmacgregor@nesea.org or 413-774-6051 x10.