Merrill Resilient Net-Zero

Professional Photos By: Chuan Photography

The original one-story house was fully rebuilt and a new second floor was added along with a partly covered roof deck. The shed roof is covered with a 20.5 kW solar electricity array to power both the house and the electric car, targeting net zero energy. During a power outage, whole-house batteries should be able to keep the house running indefinitely depending on the amount daylight and clear skies. A 50-gallon pressurized bladder tank is replenished about every week should an earthquake shut off the municipal water.

to improved air-tightness, a self-adhered WRB was used. The exterior walls are wrapped in a 3” of blanket of wood fiber insulation. Electric heat-pumps provide heating and cooling, and cooking is done via an induction cooktop. (there is no natural gas in this project. Balanced Ventilation is provided by a Broan Heat-Recovery-Ventilator (HRV).



Completed: Early 2019

Builder: Withheld

Project Architect: John Novak

Structural Engineer: AJP Engineering

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