As a building’s energy efficiency increases, solar technology (PV’s photovoltaics) can offset more of the utility bill. This makes it a better investment, because the solar technology power stretches further. By building energy efficiency into the Zero Energy Building and by sizing and locating the PV system correctly, it can result in offsetting up to 100% percent of all grid-electricity needs on an annual basis.

More about PV’s
PV Applications
Solar: Frequently Asked Questions

Exterior insulation thermally encases the Zero Energy Building. This allows the masonry to be pre-cooled during daytime hours when the sun is shining brightly and the PV system is at maximum power. Pre-cooled concrete walls help maintain indoor comfort into the late afternoon and evening in the summer and retain heat during the winter.

ICF’s (insulate concrete forms) create a solid, continuous wall that eliminates air infiltration and uncomfortable drafts, hot and cold spots and wide temperature fluctuations. Since only controlled, filtered air comes inside, the people in your buildings will enjoy air quality that is virtually free of all airborne pollen, mold, mildew, dust and other allergens. And with a Sound Transmission Class rating of 49, ICF’s will ensure that the interior environment of your buildings is not only comfortable, but quiet as well. ICF’s reduce the noise of heavy equipment operating right outside, to the level of a whisper inside. Road and air traffic is inaudible.

The energy efficiency of ICF’s can reduce your heating and cooling costs by 50% to 80%. Your energy savings, combined with lower insurance rates for masonry construction and virtually no continuing maintenance costs, means that your life cycle costs will be much lower than with conventional construction.

No matter what the development or building project, ICF’s can make it better. ICF’s will accommodate any floor plan, any design features, and any interior or exterior finishes.

Because of ICF’s outstanding 3- and 4-hour fire ratings, you can provide unprecedented protection from fires for the occupants of your buildings. In 2000, ICF’s earned a four-hour rating in tests by Omega Point Laboratories, which exceeds most building code requirements. ICF’s have gained universal non-combustible code approval making large-scale commercial construction possible.

And ICF buildings are secure in high windstorms so they could save lives in case of a tornado or hurricane. CIF’s steel-reinforced concrete walls will keep those who live and work in your buildings safe from high windstorms of up to 200 MPH. Since ICF forms stay in place and become part of the wall, the concrete within the forms continues to cure to strength at least 50% greater than the concrete in standard removable forms.

More about ICF’s
Insulated Concrete Forms: Frequently Asked Questions

The Zero Energy Buildings windows account for almost one-fifth of the energy savings. They are selected for both appearance and thermal effectiveness. The advanced solar control windows are spectrally selective, transmitting much of the light in the visible portion of the solar spectrum, but limiting transmission in the infrared and ultraviolet portions (which causes overheating and fading of interior materials).

Interior-mounted, oversized ducts - positioned within the air-conditioned space as opposed to the hot attic - are used to great advantage in the Zero Energy Buildings. Tests at FSEC had shown that heat transfer to the duct system could rob the air conditioner of as much as one-third of its cooling capacity during the hottest hours. Over sizing the ducts allows high air flow and low friction loss (previously shown to provide as much as a 12 percent improvement in cooling efficiency at no extra cost).

High-efficiency appliances and lighting further minimize the Zero Energy Buildings’s electrical load. These appliances and lighting also release less heat into the buildings while operating, which decreases the cooling load that must be met by the air-conditioning system. The smaller appliance, lighting, and air-conditioning loads result in less PV capacity required to meet the buildings’s total electrical load. They also allowed for a downsized air-conditioning unit.

A programmable thermostat - set so that the indoor temperature is allowed to increase overnight and while the house is unoccupied - decreases the number of hours per day the air conditioner is required to operate. Also available are many other smart features that can be incorporated into your Zero Energy Building.

Just image all the benefits and cost savings of owning a General Engineering Tectonics build Zero Energy Building, all these benefits for only a fraction more than the cost of conventional construction.

Call today at 877-549-6595 or E-mail us for more information about Zero Energy Buildings or PV systems by General Engineering Tectonics.