Building Science - Building a super efficient home

Do you know of any systems that are capable of monitoring air quality CO2 and PM2.5 which turn the system on and off accordingly. The whole point of having these systems is to keep quality air conditions inside but if you set it up in dumb mode (example operate for 10 minutes every hour) if you go away for the weekend the air will be replaced when there would otherwise be no need to. In very hot summer days or very cold winter nights that's efficiency being piped out because of "dumb" controllers.

Yes, devices exist for HRV/ERVs that monitor air quality (CO2 and such) and can control the air exchange. To be honest I have never seen one installed in a residential application but ventilation is not my specialty/main business so maybe they're more common than I know.

I'd love to have one!
 
I have been doing some digging on triple plane window since I saw this thread. I have been told by the manufacturer that the price difference between double and triple pane is about 10%, but he couldn't provide performance spec

https://www.allweatherwindows.com/the-pros/architect/glass-performance-chart/

dual pane with Low-E: R3.8
triple pane with 1 Low-E coating: R5.4
triple pane with 2 Low-E coating: R7.5

However, the thermal solar gain is reduced the greater the insulation is.
So to calculate the efficiency and potential payback time is rather difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.
 
I have been doing some digging on triple plane window since I saw this thread. I have been told by the manufacturer that the price difference between double and triple pane is about 10%, but he couldn't provide performance spec

https://www.allweatherwindows.com/the-pros/architect/glass-performance-chart/

dual pane with Low-E: R3.8
triple pane with 1 Low-E coating: R5.4
triple pane with 2 Low-E coating: R7.5

However, the thermal solar gain is reduced the greater the insulation is.
So to calculate the efficiency and potential payback time is rather difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.

No, don't look at windows just for R value, it's much more complicated that this, and if you're relaly into it, you'll get dfferent windows depending on orientation. In windoes, you have U value and such.

See this company from Ontario that is really a leader in the field: http://www.ttwindows.com/ they have tons of technical details and make windows with very good U values, etc.
 
Latest research has been on ICF homes. The benefits are interesting and I'm leaning more and more toward it but what are the cons?

Googled it and got a few answers but wondering if anyone here has first hand experience?
 
Latest research has been on ICF homes. The benefits are interesting and I'm leaning more and more toward it but what are the cons?

Googled it and got a few answers but wondering if anyone here has first hand experience?

I'd be interested as well!

I remember many years ago in my teens there was a big house near my parents', I remember thinking wtf are they doing, stacking foam blocks and sh1t, well, yeah, ICF! I guess the owners were thinking forward!
 
So here's what I have found out so far about ICF:

So far the "cons" are all moot points.. For example they say things like difficulty remodeling or adding extensions to the house. Really... just do it right the first time or buy/build another house.

Otherwise it's

1)super strong, will take any kind of storm we get in Montreal,
2) super tight, air leakage minimal
3)very quick/easy to install. Minimize labor costs and potential errors.

Right now I'm assessing the manufacturers, I have found 2 I like (Nudura and Quadlock), trying to get feedback from the respective products. Reason being they have increased insulation.

ICF_Walls_R-Values_ab.png


The science behind it is to insulate the concrete as much as possible from the outside and it becomes a thermal capacitor to the inside by soaking up the heat and slowly releasing it when it gets cold.

thermal-mass-chart-en.png
 
I was thinking about the hybrid water heater that we talked about above, and I just realize there is a BIG problem:

The water heater will use the heat pump to take the heat in the ambient air to heat the water. This will cause a drop in temperature in the room where the water heater is, and has to be replace. So the pure efficiency of the water heating system depends on the home heating system...

I would stay away from such thing. The only place I can see it makes sense is where you constantly need cooling (hot country).
 
So here's what I have found out so far about ICF:

So far the "cons" are all moot points..

Your exterior finish will most likely be stucko as you will find it difficult to get a warranty for different sidings, it's the go to finish with this system. There is a lot's of promises with this system but it has not delivered very well in the practical world. Also, in order to really use the concrete as a thermal mass, you can't sandwich it in between insulation.

Another "issue" concrete pouring is far from being the specialty of the Quebec construction business when it comes to small residential building. If your walls are poorly poured, it's not fixable so the idea that this type of construction minimizes potential errors... meh.

You WILL be limited in your house designing options in terms of window layout and how you can load the exterior walls, this can be worked around though. You HAVE to build when the weather permits it or winter conditions will destroy you (gotta heat the whole damn thing while building).

It's also a pretty small market where you will have trouble getting "bids" from different contractor, raising prices.

Another thing to consider, who actually manufacturers the insulated panels? Do they shrink over the years? Do they decay like cheap ones do? Your envelop's performance will be fubar if you start developing 1/16" gaps everywhere.

ICF is not the method of choice for "super efficient houses", it's full of thermal bridges due to all the connectors linking the front and back insulation.
 
I was thinking about the hybrid water heater that we talked about above, and I just realize there is a BIG problem:

The water heater will use the heat pump to take the heat in the ambient air to heat the water. This will cause a drop in temperature in the room where the water heater is, and has to be replace. So the pure efficiency of the water heating system depends on the home heating system...

I would stay away from such thing. The only place I can see it makes sense is where you constantly need cooling (hot country).

In the winter you run full electric in the summer you run with heat pump. For sure it makes more sense down in Arizona or Texas but not completely useless here. Definitely only to be considered if you still have more budget and covered all of the other main inefficiencies.

Your exterior finish will most likely be stucko as you will find it difficult to get a warranty for different sidings, it's the go to finish with this system. There is a lot's of promises with this system but it has not delivered very well in the practical world. Also, in order to really use the concrete as a thermal mass, you can't sandwich it in between insulation.

That's what I'm finding. Still would like to have metal sidings. As far as thermal mass, I agree the best would be bare side but 2-4 inches to the inside vs 4-8 inches on the outside the effect will propagate inwards.


Another "issue" concrete pouring is far from being the specialty of the Quebec construction business when it comes to small residential building. If your walls are poorly poured, it's not fixable so the idea that this type of construction minimizes potential errors... meh.

You can specify the concrete coefficient. You make it more liquid like to have it fill better. Father-in law works for a construction materials company. There are products that can be bought even off the shelf (not specialty) that will make it idiot proof.

You WILL be limited in your house designing options in terms of window layout and how you can load the exterior walls, this can be worked around though. You HAVE to build when the weather permits it or winter conditions will destroy you (gotta heat the whole damn thing while building).

You can't do anything crazy but it's still quite flexible. As far as temp, so long as the conditions are OK for the concrete you can build it. Again concrete formula will make the difference.


It's also a pretty small market where you will have trouble getting "bids" from different contractor, raising prices.

Can't argue there.

Another thing to consider, who actually manufacturers the insulated panels? Do they shrink over the years? Do they decay like cheap ones do? Your envelop's performance will be fubar if you start developing 1/16" gaps everywhere.

That was effectively one of my questions. What I found is that EPS foam is fairly reliable and better companies like Nudura have interlocking blocks that won't come apart unless they are destroyed. Add a fluid applied or peel and stick to the outer walls top to bottom and you should have 0 problems

ICF is not the method of choice for "super efficient houses", it's full of thermal bridges due to all the connectors linking the front and back insulation.

Every company will claim their technology is superior. What I've found out is that 99% of any technologies performance comes down to air sealing. A ridiculously air tight house with half or even a quarter of the insulation will perform better than one that lets unconditioned air in. With wood, sure there are multiple ways to seal it up well but fundamentally you're starting with a frame that's full of gaps. You have to insure that the contractor finds every single one of them and plugs it with foam. On the flip side a solid wall of concrete doesn't let the air in.

As far as the thermal bridging, the inserts are plastic, just meant to hold the pieces. They are negligible in terms of thermal bridging.
 
Ton ICF c'est très hot pour le sous sol, mais si tu veux des autres étages, c'est pas mal.complique faire de grosse ouvertures pour fenêtres etc.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
https://www.constructionrocket.com/copy-of-maison-dessources-springhou

les plans sont la, et la constructions des murs/plafonds aussi

ouais, comme je disais, de la fenestration de maison des années 1800...

petites fenetres, pas larges, pas hautes. Y'en a qui aiment ca pas de lumiere naturelle, moi c'est plafond au plancher, mur a mur si je pouvais!. Sauf au nord évidemment.

Chacun ses gouts, mais personnellement je trouve ca vraiment pas beau architecturalement parlant une passivhouse
 
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