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Commonly referred to as ZNE, achieving Zero Net Energy is to have a building that produces the same amount of renewable energy onsite as it consumes. This is  measured in a 1-year term.  The following building and design strategies will provide insight into how your home can become ZNE.

The following can be applied to your home and will begin during the design phase of the process. Method is offering ZNE packages tailored specifically to projects utilizing some or all of these strategies depending on the climate, site and design..

Insulation

1. Adding insulation to the ceiling has the largest impact on the energy consumed in a home.
2. Avoiding thermal bridging through either double stud walls, rigid foam wrap or a combination is another important strategy.
3. Use surface mounted lights on the ceilings exposed to the outdoors. The nature of heat transfer reduces an otherwise well insulated R38 ceiling considerably with a small amount of can lights that do not allow for a proper amount of insulation above the light. An example of this is if you have a 1000 sq ft roof with R-38 and then have an attic door that is 10 sq ft that is not insulated so R-1 your resulting average roof R value is only 27.7.

Tight Construction

1. Blower door tests measure the amount of air that escapes a building at a standard 50 Pascals of pressure. In order to achieve a very tight envelope specially formulated tape is commonly used to seal the seams of the plywood during framing.
2. Another strategy is to use expanding foam sprayed in a thin layer in the wall cavity that is then blown full of fiberglass. The thin layer of foam seals the airflow and the fiberglass keeps this option at a reasonable price point, this is commonly referred to as ‘flash and fill’.

Fresh air

1. Recommended at a rate of .35 air changes per hour, meaning that all of the air in your house is replaced approximately every 3 hours. If you live in a cold or a hot climate this essentially means that you are heating or cooling the outdoors. To alleviate the lost energy we use a heat recovery ventilator, HRV or ERV depending on your climate. This mechanism has a heat exchanger that recovers the heat or cold from the exiting air and transfers it to the fresh incoming air.
2. In addition to having fresh air it is important to pay attention to the contents of the materials used, for this reason Method Homes uses plywood sheathing and only materials that have NAUF, no added urea formaldehyde as well as low and no VOC adhesives and paints.

Windows and Doors are an integral part of the thermal envelope and it is therefore important to incorporate high performance options.

1. Windows are measured with the inverse of the walls R value called U values, the lower the U value the higher the R value and the better insulated the door or window is.
2. It is recommended that windows and doors have a .20 U value or less.
3. Another strategy is to incorporate windows with varying solar heat gain coefficients, SHGC, depending on the orientation and the energy modeling.

Passive solar design

1. This strategy incorporates a number of the above mentioned techniques into a comprehensive whole. This can best be analyzed and fine-tuned with an energy modeling software such as Energy Plus.
2. This process will illuminate the most cost effective strategies and give overall estimated energy consumption. Some items that will be looked at include; building orientation, thermal mass, shading and solar access among other things.

High efficiency hot water heater.

1. As the cost of solar electricity through PV panels has come down it is now more cost effective to use a high efficiency air source heat pump hot water heater rather than have a solar hot water panel installed on your roof, though some people may want this option.
2. A heat recovery coil that surrounds the drain to the shower known as a GFX or Powerpipe recovers the heat from the drain and feeds back into the hot water tank.

High efficiency heating and cooling system.

1. A ductless mini split that for every watt consumed can produce 2.5-3 watts of heating or cooling, 250-300% efficient. Another efficient option is a heat pump for heating water for hydronic radiant heat; we utilize the Daikin Altherma system.

High efficiency appliances and lighting

1. From the refrigerator to the washer and dryer it is important to look for energy star ratings and the specific energy loads of each model.
2. Lighting is best handled by an integrated approach using well placed windows and LED lighting.

The final part to building a ZNE home is to install a photovoltaic solar (PV) array that can produce as much energy in a year that you will likely consume in a year. There are various methods to monitor the consumption and production of energy.

1. Ultimately the success of a building reaching ZNE will depend on the home owner and the thoughtful decisions that affect the overall energy consumption.

There are numerous certifications that help to quantify different aspects of building a high performing home, from LEED to the living Building Challenge.  We can work with you to achieve these certifications or we can simply incorporate various strategies as described above to build you a long lasting, healthy efficient home.

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In December of last year, Method Homes built a prefab home that was delivered to Sonoma, California. From the time we broke ground to the time the home was complete, the build from start to finish only took 4 months….and maybe a few days. Regardless, we couldn’t be more happy with the results.

This modern prefab home was designed by Chris Pardo Design: Elemental Architecture of Seattle and Palm Springs. The owners completed the landscaping – including an amazing swimming pool looking over the Southwest exposure. The views of the vines in the valley below are spectacular. We just recently hired Jaime Kowal to shoot the home. See finished photos in our portfolio section here.

Chris Pardo Design

‍Element Series

‍Sonoma Prefab

Method Homes delivered another prefab home to Alaska, but this time via barge to a remote water front site that is not accessible by car. The project was a custom design by Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects that consists of three modules.

Two of the modules make up one cabin and another single module makes up another living quarters – complete with a galley kitchen – making it self-sustaining.

The cabin is completely off-grid and is powered by an efficient generator with back-up batteries. The home also utilizes water catchment for all of its water needs, along with propane for cooking.

The Method team has been on site for the last 2 weeks making structural connections, framing the gabled roof, and finishing some of the interiors and siding.

We will be leaving the remaining few weeks of work in the capable hands of local craftsmen, and it should be wrapping up in the coming weeks.

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The Method team recently traveled to Palm Springs, California to participate in 2014's Modernism Week as part of the Prefab Showcase and Modern Living Expo with Paradigm, our prototype home for the Paradigm Series by Bogue Trondowski Architects.The 11-day festival highlights Mid-Century Modern architecture, design, and culture. Proceeds from the event  provide funding for preservation of historically significant Mid- Century works, in addition to providing scholarships for design and architecture students. Here are a few of the Week's highlights:The Paradigm Prototype arrived in Palm Springs nearly 100 percent complete – aside from the corten steel sun brow and decking.A closer look at the sun brow with a CNC-cut design prior to installing.The East elevation shows Paradigm's fold detail and on the Western Red Cedar siding.Paradigm's West elevation with corten steel accents.Team Method installing the brow on the front page of The Desert Sun.Ready for Modernism Week!The Prefab Showcase and Modern Living Expo were fully powered by local solar company Hot Purple Energy, who also hosted architectural bike rides, a music stage with live performances, and a solar powered video arcade.Also being powered by solar was the impressive selection of gourmet food trucks, including this Cousin's Maine Lobster truck that was featured on the hit television series Shark Tank. This wraps into the city's most recent cultural developments as food trucks have just become legal in Palm Springs.Method partnered with Design 849 to outfit Paradigm in New Century inspired furnishings from their 11,000 square foot Palm Springs design house, including pieces from their in-house line of California-made furniture, D849.Sofa in Paradigm by D849.Recognizable around Palm Springs during the events were the bright red double decker buses that conducted tours of iconic Mid-Century architecture.The Kauffman House by Richard Neutra.One of Palm Springs' 15 Swiss Miss A-frames designed by Charles Dubois.Another house in the Los Palmas neighborhood. The landscape architecture of the homes was equally impressive.Many of the Modernism Week events were held in the design district, including our partners Design 849. Here is a look at the entry to their outdoor furniture selection.Pantone chairs from Trina Turke's pop-up home store in the design district.Next door to the Prefab Showcase was the Vintage Travel Trailer Show. This featured mostly restored Airstreams from the 50s and 60s, in addition to a few outfitted Greyhounds. It was intriguing to see what economies of space can be created to keep these compact trailers comfortable.For those looking for a multi-day design event, Modernism Week offers the best of both up and coming modern architecture and decor in addition to a Vintage Show and Sale. It was great to be on the cutting-edge of sustainable prefab during this year's event with the Paradigm prototype, which was designed to meet both Net-Zero water and energy requirements. Click here for more on Paradigm's sustainable features and to watch the time-lapse video of Paradigm construction in our shop.

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Here’s what I can tell you about Palm Springs Modernism Week. It’s called WEEK because you can’t do it in 1.5 days, which is what we tried to do.So, here are my top tips for squeezing in as much awesome design and architecture as you can if you’ve only got two or three days in Palm Springs (hopefully you will have more time than that because there is SO much good stuff to see!)

‍Read the full article.

Palm Springs, California – Prefab builder Method Homes announces their participation in this year’s Modernism Week in Palm Springs, California, where they will display their sustainable prefab prototype, Paradigm. The modern prefab is designed and built to meet net-zero water and energy requirements. Modernism Week is a non-profit organization that hosts an annual 11-day festival celebrating Mid-Century Modern art, architecture, and design. The events lineup includes a Prefab Showcase and Modern Design Expo from Feb 15–17 and Feb 21–23.

Originally unveiled during the 2012 USGBC Greenbuild Expo in San Francisco, the Paradigm I home designed by Bogue Trondowski Architects is a prototype for the Paradigm Series, a line of net-zero ready prefab homes built by Method Homes. The 656 square foot Paradigm I floorplan is designed to demonstrate that a reduction in square feet does not mean a sacrifice in comfort, function or style.

The prototype home features efficient systems and material upgrades including sustainably harvested Western Red Cedar siding, smart home controls, plumbing for rainwater catchment and greywater reuse, a rooftop solar PV array, a super-insulated building envelope, FSC bamboo flooring and custom cabinetry, recycled stone composite countertops, an Energy Star® appliance package, and more. Method is offering the opportunity to purchase the Paradigm prototype starting at $138,000 excluding land and site costs.

Visitors of the Paradigm prefab home will also view the latest in New Century Modern decor. Method Homes has teamed with Palm Springs-based Design 849 for Modernism Week to showcase vintage-inspired home accessories, local artists, and designer furnishings, including Design 849’s exclusive line of California-made furniture, D849. Design 849 boasts an 11,000 square foot warehouse of vintage and modern furniture, home accessories, and original artwork.

Other attractions at the 2014 Prefab Showcase and Modern Living Expo include a solar-powered video arcade, gourmet food trucks, guided bike tours, architecture and design seminars, live music, and the newest in décor and green home technologies. Tickets are $10 and are available online at: modernismweek.com.

About Method Homes
Method Homes (Method) is a custom manufacturer of precision-built prefabricated structures. The company offers both pre – designed models and fully custom prefabrication of any design by any architect. Founded with a mission of adding innovation to the future of construction, Method is guided by the core value of thoughtful, sustainable design. Prefabrication allows Method to reduce construction timelines and control costs while building custom projects in a controlled environment, minimizing exposure and waste. As such, Method can focus on sustainability and cutting edge design. Method’s homes ship 80 to 95% complete, resulting in project timelines of 2 to 5 months.

About Design 849
Design 849 is an 11,000 square foot design center located in the heart Up Town Design District in glamorous downtown Palm Springs. Originally the Palm Springs Post Office built in 1954, this classic Mid-Century Modern building is beloved by locals and has become a must-visit retail destination for out-of-town visitors. In addition to an eclectic mix of new and vintage modern furniture, lighting, and home decor, Design 849 offers flooring, tile, hardware, wallpaper, and exterior home accessories such as mailboxes. Interior design services are also offered.

About Modernism Week
Modernism Week is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Modernism Week is also a charitable organization, providing scholarships to local Palm Springs students pursuing college educations in the fields of architecture and design; as well as giving grants to local and state preservation organizations for their efforts to preserve modernist architecture throughout the state of California.

Here is a preview from the install of our new Jackson Hole Custom project by Chris Pardo Design. The home consists of 6 modules and was installed in the snow in half a day:

The West Coast Method Factory is full and gearing up to stay busy through the spring. Here is a preview of projects currently underway:

We have more exciting work on the horizon and look forward to sharing details on these projects and the new custom East Hampton residence now underway at Method East. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!