High Performance Building Design and Materials

Let me design and build a high performance home for you!

Take steps to include energy efficient features in your new home before you begin the design process.

Once your plans have been drawn it is very difficult to add up-to-date technology.

The three most important and affordable "need-to-have" technologies to include in your plans are:

• super insulated, thermally broken, near-airtight structural systems
• high tech HVAC systems
• passive solar technology

In larger homes, designing three or more distinct living areas and making them thermal zones is excellent planning as well.

Why build using high performance design and materials?

• Add value to your home
• Reduce your energy bills
• Live in year 'round comfort

Great design starts with comfortable and affordable living. There is comfort in knowing you are relying less on fossil fuels and that you have improved the indoor air quality. Tight homes breathe better with HRV and ERV. These systems bring in conditioned fresh air and remove heat energy before exhausting. Whole house fans can reduce the need for air conditioning. Geothermal coupled with passive solar can provide cost efficient heating and cooling as well as hot water. Small homes in Montana are heating for under $300 per year using these current technologies.

I think conventional construction should be replaced forever. Why build more energy wasting homes with bad indoor air quality when we have the technology to build energy efficient homes with excellent air quality? The cost to design-in energy efficiency can be as little as 5%.