Locate Your AC Ducts within the Home's Conditioned Space

Designing and locating the HVAC ducts (and the air handling unit (AHU)) within the home's conditioned space can minimize energy losses significantly by increasing the operating efficiency of the HVAC system in your home.. As per studies by US Department of Energy (DOE) and EPA, moving ducts within the conditioned space can reduce cooling and heating loads by over 10%.

Even if ducts are well insulated there could be leakages at some points (damaged/ decaying insulation (over time)), causing loss of conditioned air, or if the ducts are located in vented attics or crawl spaces there could be energy losses because of temperature difference (delta).

1) Insulating the attic (if ducts in attic) or 2) using a false/dropped ceiling in your home corridors (where the ducts are running) are two most effective and economical solutions 

One of the best ways to accommodate ducts in conditioned space (also possible in case of late design stage intervention and retrofitting) is using dropped false ceiling - one can drop the ceiling within the circulation space (ducts run in the circulation space) to accommodate the ducts within the conditioned space. The AHU can be located in the closet and the supply registers to individual rooms can be on the wall surface adjoining the corridor, thus maintaining the height of individual rooms.

- See more at: http://www.smartzerohome.com/HVAC_Ducts_conditioned_Smart%20Zero%20Home.html#sthash.0dmDP8YE.dpuf

The Top 5 Tankless Water Heaters in the US Market...

Once you know the tankless water heater specifications (get specifications customized for your home) befitting your needs and your home size (see tankless water considerations to understand all the tankless water heater features that your should be focusing on), its time to zero in on the tankless water heater that you want to buy. 

Tankless water heaters, save considerable space and water, and are a lot more energy efficient compared to storage water heaters

Rinnai and Rheem natural gas tankless water heater, offer one of the highest efficiencies available (energy factor of 0.94). For very cold climates, electric tankless water heaters from Ecosmart can heat input temperatures as low as 37 degrees. 

The following is our pick of the best tankless water heaters available in the market today, based on our analysis, market study, and feedback from consumers and retailers:

http://www.smartzerohome.com/WaterHeater_toptankless_SmartZeroHome.html

AC Ducts in Conditioned Space : Being Smart & Cost-Effective

Designing and locating the HVAC ducts (and the air handling unit (AHU)) within the home's conditioned space can minimize energy losses significantly by increasing the operating efficiency of the HVAC system in your home.. As per studies by US Department of Energy (DOE) and EPA, moving ducts within the conditioned space can reduce cooling and heating loads by over 10%.

Even if ducts are well insulated there could be leakages at some points (damaged/ decaying insulation (over time)), causing loss of conditioned air, or if the ducts are located in vented attics or crawl spaces there could be energy losses because of temperature difference (delta).

1) Insulating the attic (if ducts in attic) or 2) using a false/dropped ceiling in your home corridors (where the ducts are running) are two most effective and economical solutions 

One of the best ways to accommodate ducts in conditioned space (also possible in case of late design stage intervention and retrofitting) is using dropped false ceiling - one can drop the ceiling within the circulation space (ducts run in the circulation space) to accommodate the ducts within the conditioned space. The AHU can be located in the closet and the supply registers to individual rooms can be on the wall surface adjoining the corridor, thus maintaining the height of individual rooms.

There are other ways of locating ducts in conditioned space, such as insulating the attic and laying the ducts in the attic. This will be cheaper to implement but will be more expensive, requiring larger HVAC and resulting in higher energy bills, as the entire attic becomes part of the conditioned space (increasing the volume that needs to be conditioned by the HVAC system). 

- See more at: http://www.smartzerohome.com/HVAC_Ducts_conditioned_Smart%20Zero%20Home.html#sthash.imorBJmf.dpuf

Phantom Loads in Your Home & How to Control Them...

Plug Loads or electricity usage from devices and appliances that are plugged into electric sockets can account for electricity usage even when not in use or even when they are turned off. This energy usage by plugged-in appliances is often referred to as “phantom loads”. These can account for over $100 of energy bills over a year in a typical 3 bedroom home.

There are a number of advanced power strips and controls that are available to counter these phantom plug loads. These power strips and controls can be plugged into the electric socket, and the appliances in turn can be plugged into the power strip. These strips can be driven by an occupancy sensor (senses the absence and turns-off), or a timer (based on pre-set schedule (e.g. post 10pm)), or remotely controlled, or just be a simple master strip that can be turned off manually. Controls from companies such as WeMo and TP Link can be accessed from your mobile phones and are Wi-Fi enabled.

Plug load controls can reduce the 'Phantom Loads' by ensuring the appliances are switched off

Here are the best plug load controls available in the market today, based on our analysis, and feedback from customers and contractors:

- See more at: http://www.smartzerohome.com/Smart_PhantomLoadControls.html#sthash.kfKUpPuU.dpuf

http://www.smartzerohome.com/Smart_PhantomLoadControls.html

Wall Insulation 101

Adequate wall insulation prevents heating and cooling losses, thus conserving energy, and ensuring maximum utilization of the Furnace & Air-Conditioning system.  Good wall insulation also makes the interior space more comfortable and less noisy. 

Choosing between different insulation options

Adding wall insulation to existing walls, requires drilling holes into the wall to access the wall cavity, to fill it with insulation. Spray foam insulation is the best option when retrofitting existing home walls, as it can be sprayed inside the wall cavity with minimal intrusion/holes. Spray-foam insulation thus allows for fast, easy and effective (one of the highest R values/density) retrofitting options, while also automatically air-sealing any existing leakages. 

Spray foam is an effective and less intrusive wall insulation option 

Cellulose insulation is organic and can also be blown-in with minimum intrusion, but can absorb water in humid weather. For deeper (interior walls are torn down) retrofits, insulation boards/batts (rigid foam boards or fiberglass batts) can be used.

Getting the Insulation "R" Value

Insulation’s effectiveness is measured by its “R” value. R is the short form for Insulation’s Resistance against transfer of heat across it. Thus higher the R value of the Insulation, higher is its effectiveness. Our (SmartZeroHome.com) intelligent design software can specify the exact insulation R values that are the most cost-effective and the most impactful, for your home.

Also see our post on roof/attic insulation, and our pick of the best roof insulation products in the market.

- See more at: http://www.smartzerohome.com/insulation_wall_SmartZeroHome.html#sthash.gn7Gnx41.dpuf

Light Design 101

http://www.smartzerohome.com/LightDesign101.html

Lighting alone can account for a significant energy use in your home (see our design tool to know how important lighting is in your home) and is the highest energy guzzler in an office building. Deploying advanced lighting controls coupled with high efficiency lighting fixtures can result in lighting energy savings of over 30%.

Efficient lighting design strategies :

1) High Efficiency Lights: Replace existing incandescent bulbs with the more efficient LED lamps and CFL lamps. LEDs are more efficient options, and are available in a number of colors and fixture options. To learn more click here. 

2) Optimum Light Design: High illumination levels (high light intensity or bright light) can be discomforting and damaging to the eyes and also consume unnecessary electricity. Buy the right intensity light fixtures, and use dimmers for spaces with varying light needs. Dimmers ensure that there is an appropriate illumination levels befitting the time, need and occasion. See our post on advanced light controls.

High illumination levels can be discomforting and damaging to the eyes

3) Use lights only when needed: Occupancy Sensors ensure that lights are switched off when the space is not being used, and the lights are switched off even if someone forgot to switch them off when leaving the space/room. See our pick of the best occupancy light sensors in the market today.

4) Daylighting: Natural light should be used whenever and wherever possible. It is also a healthier option. You can use window shades to cut off the direct sun, while still getting the diffused light for lighting the space. North facing windows do not get direct sun, and are ideal for daylighting. Intelligent daylighting can also be used as a source for passive solar heating. See our post on daylighting.

Check out our pick of top 5 LED lights, and top 5 light sensors.

- See more at: http://www.smartzerohome.com/LightDesign101.html#sthash.6l6aj6ud.dpuf

Top 5 Light Dimmers in the Market

Light Dimmers are used to decrease the lighting consumption by 65% (for CEC certification) and more, and are effective in areas where the light usage varies based on time of day and need.

Hallways and other common areas, bedrooms, dining room and family room are ideal spaces for light dimmer installation. Dimmers can be used with track lighting and recessed can lights.

Light Dimmers are ideal for spaces where the light use varies based on time of day and your needs

Here are the top 5 light occupancy dimmers available in the market today, based on our analysis, and feedback from customers and retailers (full table at this link: http://www.smartzerohome.com/Lights_top5LightDimmers.html):

Company	Lutron	Leviton	Enerlites	Honeywell	Wattstopper
Rating*	9	8.2	9	9.4	8
Price**	$45.5	$17.2	$12.0	$32.4	$9.9

- See more at: http://www.smartzerohome.com/Lights_top5LightDimmers.html#sthash.1TD1epZn.dpuf

Best Connected Home Platforms in the Market

Connected Home Platforms available today, allow for various smart devices to be connected – monitored and controlled – under one platform. The connected home platforms are connected via the home Wi-Fi through a choice of protocols (ZigBee, Zwave), and accessible through any one of the available UI interfaces such as your phone, laptop or your Smart TV.

Connected platforms allow you to access & control all smart devices from one platform

The following are the best connected home platforms available in the market today, based on our analysis and feedback from customers. It is still early days with some of the major IT/electronic giants fighting it out to establish their platform and communication protocols as the industry standard. Platforms such as Amazon Echo and Staples Connect with dedicated hardware are compatible and are able to communicate with a lot more smart device types and companies.

See best connected home platforms in the market today

Target's Smart Home "Open House"

A number of small and larger Fortune 500 companies are starting to develop technologies and integrated platforms to enable large scale adoption of Smart Home technologies. This includes technology giants such as Google, Apple, Microsoft and Samsung, as well as retailers such as Target.

We (SmartZeroHome.com) recently visited the newly opened Target Smart Home demonstration "open house" in downtown San Francisco, and were pleasantly surprised. 

Target's Smart Home demonstration set-up in downtown San Francisco showcases what a connected smart home of the future could be like

The demonstration set-up is adjoining the Target store and the Metreon center, on the intersection of 3rd and Mission st. It shows how various devices in different rooms of the 'Smart Home' connect with each other and interact with the resident and adapt to their habits and preferences. 

The open house showcases some of the latest smart home devices and technologies, and demonstrates how the smart connected devices would work together to simplify your life.

- See more at: http://www.smartzerohome.com/Smart_TargetSmartHome.html#sthash.rTTTKRKm.dpuf

What is a Smart Home?

The definition of a “Smart Home” has continued to evolve with newer technological advancements. A Smart Home maximizes the comfort of the resident, in the most cost-effective way. We (smartzerohome.com) would extend the definition of a Smart Home to include it being a solar powered energy efficient self-sufficient net Zero Energy home.

Various smart devices can be connected – monitored and controlled – under one platform

A Smart Home consists of smart connected devices and appliances that act based on the home resident’s desires and behaviors, to maximize their comfort. A Smart Home accomplishes this objective through connected devices and smart appliances that are connected via a Connected Smart Home Platform and/or a Home Energy Management System which allows them to communicate with each other and follow a pre-selected course of action based on the home resident’s behavior, and on the most cost-effective energy efficiency strategy.

See more at SmartZeroHome.comwww.smartzerohome.com