[TJBAILEY]

Hey folks new member here. I just purchased land and will be building in the next few years. I am trying to weigh my options. Input would be greatly appreciated. The location is upstate New York.

My intention is to build a slab on grade 40x60 steel building with 12 or 13 foot walls. A large portion of the building will be a full height "garage". Approximately 20x25 feet will be converted to living space. The way I have my plans laid out I am looking at around 1400 sq feet of living area including a 2nd floor with 4.5 or 5 foot knee walls.

My intention is to invest heavily in creating a tight envelope. I would like to install a robust solar array and heat and cool strictly with electric. I would like to maintain a temperature of around 75 in the garage area during the summer months. Conversely a temperature of approximately 55 in the winter months. In the living area 68 degrees plus or minus a few degrees is my goal.

We have hot summers and cold winters so heating and cooling needs are demanding here. It not rare to see 95 in the summer and mid teens in the winter.

I am going to attempt to attach a rough idea of the building's layout. The dimensions may be different but it is the general idea. The first floor has kitchen and living room area. The second floor hosts the rest of the rooms. The vehicles park inside next to the living area on the first floor and the second floor goes full width above the vehicles.

I was thinking a mini split system may be my best bet. As much as I love fire places I do not want to deal with wood heat unless maybe I used an outdoor boiler. I don't want the smoke or the air exchange that must occur with a fire place.

Thank you in advance for your expertise.

 

[rider77]

You’ll have to use multiple ducted systems, or a single mini with multiple heads. As it’s against code to use the same ducted unit for a living area and garage.

 

[ga-hvac-tech]

Following up on Rider's post...
Mixing air from the garage and living area... is DANGEROUS! Think CO poisoning... which is a serious thing!
Google 'Nationalcomfortinstitute' and go to the CO/CA section...

My suggestion would be separate systems... and seal up the living quarters tightly.
Arrange for the shop area to be warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter...
AND
Arrange for a small fresh air (from the OUTSIDE) to the return of the living area system. Why??? This will produce a positive air pressure (10-20 pascals) enough to cause a draft from the living space to the shop area. The result will be: safety from dangerous fumes from the shop. BTW: CO is has no odor... the first thing folks notice is flue like symptoms, followed by lethargic feeling and headaches... if it gets bad enough... you just do not wake up tomorrow morning... :eek2:

I would do some careful research on this before finalizing plans for your heating and AC!

 

[teddy bear]

Musst be a winter climate?
Fresh air change is a must, a fresh air change in 4-5 hours minimal when occupied to purge indoor pollutants and renew oxygen. A valid point on using mechanical fresh air to maintain a positive pressure to avoid infiltration from the garage.
If it is a green grass climate, suggest using a small whole house dehumidifier provide the fresh air and maintain <50%RH during wet time of the year.
Keep us posted on your thoughts.
Regards Teddy Bear

 

[Bazooka Joe]

Throw those snowmobiles on your truck, and I’ll bring mine and meet you at Old Forge when the snow flies....

 

[Poodle Head Mikey]

Make sure that one of the long walls of the building faces Solar South.

You can find it with a vertical stick in the ground - at solar-noon the shadow cast by the stick will run exactly solar north and south.

That long wall will want to be top-to-bottom passive solar.

Build the peaked roof at exactly the right angle for solar collection. This is about your latitude plus 15º (steeper) - but you can check my numbers easily.

Pour the slab over 8" of good foam board and also do the perimeter down four feet vertically.

Install a heavy schedule of floor tubing (like a radiant floor) everywhere in the building - but especially in the concrete.

Cover the south facing plane of the roof with hydronic solar collector panels. Use this collected heat to provide all your domestic hot water (about 200 gallons) and also store the solar heat by heating the concrete slab.

Install the PV solar panels as a ground array for easy snow removal.

PHM
--------

Hey folks new member here. I just purchased land and will be building in the next few years. I am trying to weigh my options. Input would be greatly appreciated. The location is upstate New York.

My intention is to build a slab on grade 40x60 steel building with 12 or 13 foot walls. A large portion of the building will be a full height "garage". Approximately 20x25 feet will be converted to living space. The way I have my plans laid out I am looking at around 1400 sq feet of living area including a 2nd floor with 4.5 or 5 foot knee walls.

My intention is to invest heavily in creating a tight envelope. I would like to install a robust solar array and heat and cool strictly with electric. I would like to maintain a temperature of around 75 in the garage area during the summer months. Conversely a temperature of approximately 55 in the winter months. In the living area 68 degrees plus or minus a few degrees is my goal.

We have hot summers and cold winters so heating and cooling needs are demanding here. It not rare to see 95 in the summer and mid teens in the winter.

I am going to attempt to attach a rough idea of the building's layout. The dimensions may be different but it is the general idea. The first floor has kitchen and living room area. The second floor hosts the rest of the rooms. The vehicles park inside next to the living area on the first floor and the second floor goes full width above the vehicles.

I was thinking a mini split system may be my best bet. As much as I love fire places I do not want to deal with wood heat unless maybe I used an outdoor boiler. I don't want the smoke or the air exchange that must occur with a fire place.

Thank you in advance for your expertise.

 

[dan sw fl]

Hey folks new member here.

I just purchased land and will be building in the next few years.
I am trying to weigh my options. Input would be greatly appreciated.

The location is upstate New York.

My intention is to build a slab on grade 40x60 steel building with 12 or 13 foot walls.

A large portion of the building will be a full height "garage".

Approximately 20x25 feet will be converted to living space.

The way I have my plans laid out I am looking at
around 1400 sq feet of living area including a 2nd floor with 4.5 or 5 foot knee walls.

It is not rare to see 95 in the summer and mid teens in the winter.

I am going to attempt to attach a rough idea of the building's layout.
The dimensions may be different but it is the general idea.


The first floor has kitchen and living room area.
The second floor hosts the rest of the rooms.


The vehicles park inside next to the living area on the first floor
and the second floor goes full width above the vehicles.

I was thinking a mini split system may be my best bet.

Thank you in advance for your expertise.

___ 1,900 Square Feet LIVING SPACE

R-40 CEILING
R-18 WALLS
__________ MOST of the Area will be Spray Foam?

__________ AREA SUMMARY _______
______ __ Shop/Garage _ Living Areas
1st floor __ 1,900 ________ 500
2nd floor _ 1,000 ________ 1,400
_________ 2,900 ________ 1,900

OR other ?

 

[Juan Madera]

Radiant heat in the slab and mini-splits for the living space is my suggestion. I like the hot water solar idea for the concrete as it will soak up several million BTU's on a nice sunny day.

 

[dan sw fl]

... JUST A STARTING POINT

Guidance:

1 https://www.energycodes.gov/adoption/states/new-york

2 NET ZERO / RESIDENTIAL
_______________ https://www.wbdg.org/resources/net-zero-energy-buildings

3 IECC 2018

3A https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/iecc2018/chapter-4-re-residential-energy-efficiency

___ Section R405 Simulated Performance Alternative (Performance)

3B https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/iecc2018/chapter-4-[re]-residential-energy-efficiency#IECC2018_RE_Ch04_SecR405

3C Table 402.1.2

ZONE 6 _ _ Prescriptive
______ CEILING R-49
______ WALLS R-20 + 5
______ FLOOR SLAB R-10 ..
______ U-FACTOR 0.32 or BETTER

4 https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/building-technologies-office

5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-energy_building

6 SOLAR PV
_________ http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/consumer/solar_electricity/basics/cells_modules_arrays.htm

 

[dan sw fl]

Hey folks new member here.

I just purchased land and will be building in the next few years. I am trying to weigh my options.
Input would be greatly appreciated.

The location is upstate New York.

My intention is to build a slab on grade 40x60 steel building with 12 or 13 foot walls.

A large portion of the building will be a full height "garage".
Approximately 20x25 feet will be converted to living space.
The way I have my plans laid out I am looking at around 1400 sq feet of living area
including a 2nd floor with 4.5 or 5 foot knee walls.

My intention is to invest heavily in creating a tight envelope.

... maintain a temperature of around 75 in the garage area during the summer months.
Conversely a temperature of approximately 55 in the winter months.
In the living area 68 degrees plus or minus a few degrees is my goal.

It not rare to see 95 in the summer and mid teens in the winter.

I was thinking a mini split system may be my best bet.
Thank you in advance for your expertise.

2018 IECC

R-44 + Ceiling
R-20 __ Walls
R-10 __ Floor
350 Sq Ft of Glass

Heat Loss may be substantial : >~ 40,000 BTU/HR

Radiant Floor heating could address
~ 1/3 to 1/2 of the Heat Loss.

ZIP _ _ _ _ _ is necessary to establish
____ Design Temperatures
____ HDD Heating Degree Days
____ CDD Cooling Degree Days
___ Solar PV Performance

 

[dan sw fl]

_ _ Double Post