design process study for the demonstration homes - Architectural ...

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project, which sold out before the homes were built out, was supported by team composed of BIRA, GE Energy, and Roseville Electric. The building features are the same as those at Premier Gardens. 2.1.4. Risk management The unique responsibilities placed on the owners of ZEHs narrow the pool of likely customers for these homes. ZEH owners must establish a different type of relationship with their electric utility, that of being an electric generator to the utility. Homes with PV must have interconnecting equipment that links their homes to the utility grid in a different way and safety features not required by conventional homes. In addition, homeowners with PV homes must sign Interconnection Agreements with their electric utility. Premier viewed this new, uncharted territory as a potential risk they needed to manage carefully. For this reason, Premier was very interested in SMUD’s promised educational campaign to explain the SMUD Interconnection Agreement to Premier management, sales staff, and home buyers. Premier found SMUD’s commitment and delivery very responsive. SMUD’s commitment was a key factor in Premier’s decision to build 100% of their homes in Premier Gardens as ZEHs. Premier found a similar level of service offered by Roseville Electric for their second ZEH community, Premier Oaks, in Roseville, California. 2.1.5. Pricing A big part of managing risk for homebuilders is assessing the price range in particular locations. Adding solar electric systems and high-efficiency energy features into the mix of other new home offerings increases an already complex decision-making process. With PV systems as a standard feature in Premier’s communities, price and consumer value had to be carefully balanced. Premier had to decide which features—such as marble countertops—they would remove from their standard offerings and present instead as options. As a result of their experience in the Premier Gardens and Premier Oaks communities, Premier is now studying price ranges for developments planned in the next 6 to 18 months. They foresee that some developments are more likely than others to bear the cost of incorporating PV. In developments where ZEH is not offered as a standard, they plan to offer PV as an option. 2.1.6. Integrated PV systems In its first two PV homes, Premier used General Electric’s (GE) Gecko system and has been comfortable with the aesthetics of this building-integrated PV (BIPV) system and with home buyer acceptance of the installation. BIPV systems integrate seamlessly into the roof tiles (see Figure 1). Some homebuilders and architects are hesitant to install PV systems on the front view of homes. However, others believe that the visibility of wellintegrated PV systems is desirable by homebuyers. Premier continues to specify roofintegrated systems, even on the front of the houses. 12
Figure 1. BIPV example As a key requirement, BIPV systems must be sited in a southern direction between east and west orientations to optimize performance. A PV system generates the most kilowatthours (kWh) per year at the south orientation and may produce up to 15% less for either east or west orientations. The PV systems at Premier Gardens are installed in all three (south, east, and west) orientations. Another critical requirement is to ensure that PV panels are not shaded by trees or other structures. 2.1.7. Advantages to Premier Homes Five major benefits contributed to Premier Home’s decision to build ZEH communities, each of which is discussed in more depth below: • Utility incentives/rebates • Marketing and media success • Collaborative partnerships • Competitive sales • Enhanced reputation and positive exposure 2.1.8. Utility incentives/rebates Premier Homes qualified for utility incentives for the Premier Gardens and Premier Oaks communities. It is important to note that both incentive programs required the installation of PV systems and energy efficiency features in the homes for the builder to qualify. The Roseville Electric rebates for Premier Oaks were as follows: • $4/watt for PV buydown ($8,825/house) • $600/house for meeting the Platinum Advantage Home program 13
Page 1 and 2: UTILITY-FOCUSED MARKET MODEL FOR ZE
Page 3 and 4: Preface The Public Interest Energy
Page 5 and 6: List of Figures Figure 1. BIPV exam
Page 7 and 8: Introduction Executive Summary As C
Page 9 and 10: 1.0 Introduction As California’s
Page 11 and 12: • Reduce energy use by 40% to 70%
Page 13 and 14: In addition, utilities typically ha
Page 15 and 16: to continue to build more homes wit
Page 17: Duct insulation/location R-4.2 11 B
Page 21 and 22: Both Premier and Cresleigh construc
Page 23 and 24: $250 $240 $230 $220 $210 $200 $190
Page 25 and 26: 2.2. Case Study #2: Clarum Homes -
Page 27 and 28: mid $300,000, and the ZEHs sold jus
Page 29 and 30: The Fallen Leaf project just comple
Page 31 and 32: 2.5. Case Study #5: Pardee Homes -
Page 33 and 34: Figure 13. Soleil plans Appendix C
Page 35 and 36: project in Rancho Cordova (two side
Page 37 and 38: One of the lessons learned is that
Page 39 and 40: 4.0 Recommendations for the Energy
Page 41 and 42: 6.0 References Burton, Franklin. 19
Page 43 and 44: W watt ZEH zero energy home ZENHome
Page 45 and 46: Appendix A: Energy Analysis for Pre

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