Live Balanced

Live Balanced

net-zero design strategies

Net Zero Energy is defined by the use of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and on-site renewable energy generation to account for 100% of a targeted building's or community's energy usage.

CABN's net-positive energy strategy uses integrated systems for renewable energy with Solar Panels and a leading battery storage system. Net-zero status is achieved by using a combination of renewable power generators and low-energy building techniques, such as Passive Haus building design strategies, CABN's Energy Informed Design (EID), building orientation strategies, efficient heating and cooling systems, high-performance insulation, windows and doors and innovative domestic hot water technology.

Producing CABN buildings with solar panels contributes to the electric grid and reduces the cost of electricity for residents. Today, solar panel technology has become more competitive, boosting from the home systems to the municipal electrical grid, reducing ongoing maintenance and living expenses.

Orientation and Passive Solar Gain

Orientation to the sun and passive solar gain alter the thermal temperature and energy inside all buildings. Using Energy Informed Design (EID), CABN buildings are performance optimized for heating and cooling due to changes in solar gain (sun exposure). Through orientation, window optimization and shade
strategies the CABN buildings minimize fluctuations in peak hot and cold temperature and minimize energy consumption to maintain thermal comfort.

Solar Roof Renewable energy Strategy

CABNs are designed as a highly efficient building structure that reduces solar gain in summer months through shading and window placement and takes advantage of solar gain in winter months through orientation, wall and roof angles. The buildings reduce overall energy requirements to maintain thermal comfort while optimizing roof orientation for peak solar energy generation all year round.

Glazing, Thermal Bridging and R-Value

CABN's Glazing and Thermal Bridging strategy includes high-performance windows while minimizing energy loss. The Energy modelling analysis rates the wall insulation R-values at R-3 for optimal performance of the building.

CABN window orientation and insulation strategy

CABN's high-performance window strategy accounts for insulation and solar gain in relation to window orientation. CABN Energy informed design (EID) accounts for an average window U-value of 0.8 W/(m^2*K) throughout the entire structure, with allowances for the increased solar gain and reduced U-Value strategies on southern-oriented windows. This allows passive internal temperature management through strategic solar gain and loss while maintaining a high-performing average u-value window throughout the structure.

Mechanical Systems

Our Net Zero design strategy assesses the building envelope and evaluates for optimal efficiency using energy-informed design in order to bring the Energy Use Intensity(EUI) as low as feasible. This strategy reduces the size and complexity of the mechanical systems and improves indoor thermal comfort without heavy reliance on the HVAC system. Domestic Hot water heating and cooling are the two largest categories of energy use in typical homes. Each CABN uses the latest heat pump technology to reduce the two most significant use of electricity. Utilizing a heat pump for space heating can reduce energy usage to less than one-third of conventional gas or electric resistance heaters. New advancements in refrigerants for domestic water heaters allow for R-744, which has a global warming potential(GWP) of 1, compared to common R-410a, which has a GWP of 2088.

Year-round comfort for all-weather / locations.