Key Points - A Few Variables are Critical to Understanding Design Options
Our challenge is to help design a house that performs to your specifications. It should keep you warm in the winter, cool in the summer and do this as cost effectively and energy efficiently as possible.
The building envelope of your home (the walls, windows, roof, floor, insulation, etc.) is influenced by humidity, temperature and pressure. We think of these interactions as a "system". It is this system that we will model to meet your design goals.
Keys to Efficient Design
Understanding your building envelope, site orientation and thermal masses are keys to an efficient design. The most important variables in a house system are:
- Windows
- Insulation (Walls, Roof, Floor)
- Thermal Mass (i.e. - concrete slab, furniture, tile, wallboard)
- Energy Distribution System (i.e. - heaters, PV array, humidifier)
- Site Details & Climate
With these parameters we can build an accurate 24 hour simulation that will represent how the house will perform. Please read about our Thermal Simulations.