Following the Green Game Plan – Setting out to build an environmentally friendly home, former NBA player Mike Doleac learned plenty throughout the process and benefited from having a wellrounded team. He and his family ended up with an energy efficient home that features relatively new-to-North America technologies.
“My wife and I wanted the house to be an eco-friendly home despite its size and we spent a lot of time doing all the legwork to get the right team members in place,” Doleac said.
According to Carl Pond, president of Carl Pond Plumbing & Heating Inc., one of the most unique aspects of the home’s solar system is that it’s a solar-heated system as opposed to a solar-assisted system.
“Unlike most jobs where it’s a just a solar assist, this home uses solar as the primary heating source.”
This arrangement has been used extensively in Europe, but is relatively new to North America. The solar collectors used cover 48 percent of the heating requirements via underfloor heating and 98 percent of the total hot water requirements. An additional condensing boiler helps out on days when the sun is low. Pond explains that CO2 emissions for this home are reduced by 58 to 79 percent compared to a conventional home.
Very safe and stable connection method
The whole system is connected with another innovative product:aquatherm blue made of polypropylene (PP-R). Contractor Scott Ellerbeck of Ellerbeck Construction Inc. explains:
One big advantage is that aquatherm blue works with a 100 per cent tight welded joint. I have had many problems with mechanical joints over the years and have found the aquatherm welded joints to be a very secure and stable method of joining."
One of the most environmentally friendly piping systems in the world
According to Carl Pond, aquatherm's PP-R piping system, which has been one of the most environmentally friendly piping systems in the world for over 45 years and has proven successful in over 70 countries, is a fitting addition for the project.
The low thermal conductivity of the pipe material of 0.15 W/mK should be emphasised here. aquatherm blue, which was specially developed for air conditioning applications and withstands constant temperatures of up to 80 degrees Celsius, has been applied throughout the heating system and for manifolds. It pipes solar heat exchangers, storage tanks and boilers.
aquatherm green was also used for the drinking water system and has since ensured hygienically perfect water quality. Pond estimated that the use of aquatherm products instead of copper has resulted in a cost saving of 15 to 20 percent.
He also explains that he no longer installs copper on jobs where he can also use aquatherm.
Additionally, since the material used in aquatherm requires less energy for initial production than other piping materials and doesn’t involve the environmental impacts associated with mining operations, the Doleacs were getting the most environmentally friendly piping option on the market.
Since the home is custom built and features some unique technologies, it’s difficult to compare its energy efficiency to a standard home, but Pond estimates that compared to a traditional home; the Doleacs will save roughly $2,585 per year in energy costs. Additionally, they have the satisfaction of knowing they’re emitting fewer greenhouse gases, which was part of the game plan as they’d initially drawn it up.
