Jenson-DeLeeuw Net-Zero Energy House

Live and drive off the sun
This comfortable home, integrated into its natural setting in Harvard, Massachusetts, is fully powered by the sun with energy to spare for the owners’ electric car, kudos to a photovoltaic solar energy system by LG and two Sonnen batteries that manage energy intermittency. Passive design principles keep the house temperate year-round: deep overhangs shield interiors from overexposure and overheating, while open floor plans and high ceilings allow natural ventilation and airflow throughout.

Drawing from Nature:
The Jenson-DeLeeuw House in Harvard, Massachusetts, a 2,000 SF energy-independent home completed in 2018, combines light-filled, comfortable living spaces with full integration into nature. It is carefully sited and angled on a gentle elevation amid a rustic rural landscape. This gives its occupants pleasant natural scenery while harnessing the sun’s east-west path for electricity generation through renewable-energy technologies and passive-house principles. This dual clean-energy system generates and conserves energy as lower-cost alternatives to standard HVAC systems. 

Clean Energy Generation:
The house’s energy network generates 21,000-kilowatt-hours annually through 56 LG photovoltaic solar roof panels and excess energy storage in two sets of 16kWh Sonnen batteries. There is an integrated mini-split heating/cooling system. The roof is obtusely angled to optimize solar energy collection. By monitoring the energy generated and used daily, this system can store surplus energy for evening and bleak-weather consumption. With a certified HERS rating of –23, the house generates 123% more energy than a similarly sized home of its type, reserving ample energy at lower costs to the occupants. Furthermore, the batteries store enough to power the owners’ Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car, reducing auto exhaust pollution.

Passive Solar Design:
The southern wall’s expansive windows flood the interiors with natural light and wintertime heat. Deep roof overhangs shield rooms from overexposure and overheating. Open-floor plans and high ceilings enable natural ventilation and airflow throughout. In winter, triple-glazed windows, insulated walls, and low-infiltration detailing optimize solar warmth. A wood stove in the living-dining-kitchen space provides supplemental heating on colder days.

Insulation and Integration of Walls:
Huber Engineered Woods’ Zip System, a high-efficiency sheathing and stretch-tape network of structural panels, gives the walls superior insulation and eliminate moisture buildup and water seepage. Architecturally, weathered gray wood siding blends the house with its woodsy, rocky environs. The deck, patio, steps, and landscape walls visually reinforce the house’s bond with nature and dependence on nature’s nurturing forces for its occupants’ sustenance.

An Energy-Plus Prototype:
This house resolves numerous sustainability dilemmas. It ends a lack of access to renewable energy when the sun is not shining. It generates sustainable energy without emitting greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. It preserves the surrounding wooded landscape by eliminating the need to cut down trees to install a conventional utility infrastructure. As a prototype for similar net-zero-energy homes, this house demonstrates that, yes, we can create homes that generate more than they consume, even powering their electric cars.

Material Used :
1. Pella – Windows – Black Aluminum Clad with Nickel Hardware
2. Advance – Glazing – Low E triple pane
3. ZipWall - SHeathing
4. Timber Tech - Decking
5. Schock – Thermal break system for exposed steel shapes
6. Simpson, Pella & Jeld-Wen - Doors
7. Mitsubishi – Air source heat pumps
8. Electro, Fan Tech – Make-up air units
9. Runtal – Electric heaters
10. Sonnen – Storage Batteries

The kitchen in the Jenson-DeLeeuw Net-Zero Energy House is a bookend to a wonderfully designed open-floor plan. The high-efficiency sheathing and stretch-tape network of strucural panels supply superior insulation that creates a super-tight thermal envelope. The tight structure traps inside air in and keeps outside air out to keep the temperature constant. Paul Lukez, owner of Paul Lukez architecture firm spoke highly of the insulation that was going into the home.

"The great thing about insulation, is that it pays for itself eventually." Paul said, "Just by properly insulating the house, you can bring down the amount of energy required by 10 to 60%."

The only issue with creating such a tight envelope is when pulling stale air from the kitchen and bathrooms, how will the home owners replace the air?

The architects at Paul Lukez architecture added this solution right overhead the kitchen. A unobscure soffitt houses a makeup air system (MUAS) that automatically brings in fresh air as the exhaust air is taken from the envelope. 

During the wam summer months, there is no need to temper the air any warmer; however, the makeup air heater (MUAH) included ensures that fresh air is tempered during cold winters so the homeowners can stay comfortable in their abode.