Bethesda Bungalows' Blog

If you happen to be in the Gaithersburg area, you can drive by the NIST campus and actually see the Net Zero Energy home begin to take shape. From either Clopper Road or Rt. 124 (Montgomery Village Ave), the framing is clearly visible. This is pretty exciting, as I wasn't sure the general public was going to be able to see the home, but voila!

We've been making a big push to get the framing complete so that the roof and wall sheathing can get installed. A liquid applied air barrier will follow immediately after. Building Science Corp is schedule to perform a blower door test on July 28th, to ensure that the air barrier is continuous. While I've taken part in many blower door tests, this will be the first time to see one done prior to window and door installation. Instead, we will simply seal the openings with rigid insulation, plastic sheeting and caulk. Stay tuned for the results.

The NIST Net Zero Energy Residential Test Facility, seen from Clopper Road in Gaithersburg MD.

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Happy Friday everyone, it's a beautiful spring morning here in the nation's capitol, and my taxes are done. The NIST Net Zero site is fully prepped and the basement has been dug to grade. The last load of stone for the stabilized construction entrance is in place, and assuming the rain isn't too heavy tomorrow, we should be ready to pour footers early next week. We've noticed that the soil drains and dries quite rapidly, a good sign.

Todd Cirner of Therrien Waddell has been working non-stop on getting our submittals over to the team at Jacobs Engineering for initial review, before they pass them onto Building Science Corp for final review. The requirements for this project have made the submittal process a bit more challenging than we are all used to, but we'll work through it.

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On March 25, 2011, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held a groundbreaking ceremony at its Gaithersburg, Md., campus for three new facilities funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility, the expanded National Fire Research Laboratory, and the installation of more than 2,500 new solar energy modules to supply electricity to the NIST campus will all help to advance the state of the art in green and fire-safe building practices.

Click here to read the rest of the Press Release.

Donnie Waddell, Jerry Therrien and Peter Guida at the groundbreaking.

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The Washington Post featured Bethesda Bungalows' NIST Net Zero project. Click here to read the article.

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An update on the NIST Net Zero Energy Residential Test Facility (NZERTF). As of last week, NIST has "lifted the suspension of work", meaning we are cleared to resume the preliminary work required to get the project started. If the ground would thaw out, we could actually start the site work and excavation - the soil is currently frozen solid to about 18" deep, with a high water content. These conditions make for a very messy dig.

The NZERTF will be used to demonstrate the viability of the Net Zero Energy concept for a residential structure that is similar in size and aesthetics to the surrounding homes in the Gaithersburg area. The NZERTF will generate as much energy on an annual basis as it consumes when operated in a manner that mimics a residence occupied by a family of four. It will subsequently be used as a lab for testing various building energy technologies by the Building Fire and Research Laboratory (BFRL) of NIST. These criteria were established by NIST and Building Science Corp, the designer of the home. Additional requirements for air-tightness, indoor air quality and LEED for Homes must be met.

The NZERTF will be a wood-framed structure with approximately 2,500 SF of interior space with a basement and an attic. The entire space, including the basement and the attic, will be conditioned. The detached garage will serve as the facility control room where the interior loads of the “simulated family of four” can be programmed and monitored. Lights turning on and off, showers starting and stopping, cooking all can be controlled through this space.

To win this Federal contract, Bethesda Bungalows teamed up with commercial builder Therrien Waddell of Gaitherburg. Our experience in building LEED and EnergyStar-certified homes was critical to our successful bid.   Brad Beeson will be providing his green building expertise toward earning the LEED Platinum, EnergyStar and Indoor airPlus certifications.

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