Kraus-Fabel Retrofit
Completion
Occupancy
Owner-occupied, 3 full-time occupants, typical residential occupancy.
Scope
Existing home. Air sealing, reduction of plug loads, replacement of propane-fired heating and hot water with electrical, addition of PV.
| Type of Construction | Retrofit |
|---|---|
| Number of buildings | 1 |
| Floor area of each building | 1,200 |
| Bedrooms | 3 |
| Bathrooms | 1.0 |
| Stories | 2 |
| Conditioned Building Volume | 13,000 cu ft |
| Conditioned Floor Area | 1,200 sq ft |
| Semiconditioned Floor Area | 396 sq ft |
Location and Climate Details
One side of residential duplex
| Address |
120 Pulpit Hill Road Amherst, MA 01002
United States |
|---|---|
| Location Type | Suburaban |
| Climate Region | Zone 5 |
| Köppen Climate Type | Dfb |
| Lat. / Long. | POINT (-72.5236273 42.4174055) |
| Elevation | 250 ft |
| Solar Insolation | 3.57 kwh/m2/day |
| Annual CDD and Base Temp | 214 | 70 deg F |
| Annual HDD and Base Temp | 6,400 in 2012, 6,700 average | 65 deg F |
Site
Retrofit of existing duplex unit (one side of duplex only) within 32-unit cohousing community.
Materials and Design Strategy
It was a retrofit, with a minimum of new materials. The original construction in 1994 prioritized for sustainable and healthful materials, systems and design. Retrofit involved air sealing; a new, more efficient refrigerator; installation of HRV to replace exhaust-only ventilation; ASHPs to replace propane boiler; super-insulated water tank to back up existing solar hot water; installation of PV.
The existing home was sun-tempered, well-insulated, and reasonably tightly built. The retrofit included targeted air sealing to improve performance. I think we need to go back and verify the air sealing, as I have reason to suspect that the mechanical installation may have resulted in breaches in the air barrier. (In spite of this, the home was net energy producing in the first year.)
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