Armando Cobo is a zero energy ready home designer with experience in traditional and contemporary residential architecture of many styles. Armando has incorporated sustainable, green building and zero energy building practices for many years, both as a Builder and Designer, thus developing a great knowledge of the field techniques as well as the aesthetic perception of design. Our Universal Design criteria is incorporated in each home design.
DESIGN CRITERIA
- Energy Conservation
- Improved Indoors Air Quality
- Water Conservation
- Conservation of Building Materials
- Solid Waste Reduction
- Performance Field-testing.
- Universal Design
- Resilience
- Healthy House
DESIGN GOALS
- Greater Efficiency
- Improved Durability
- Reduced Maintenance
- Improved Air Quality
- Reduced Callbacks
- Higher Potential Resale Value
- Customer satisfaction
WHOLE-HOUSE ZERO ENERGY APPROACH
- An Integrated Design process is applied on all projects as a team concept. It encompasses working together with the Homeowner, General Contractor, Designer and key Sub-contractors to achieve a more efficient and high performing design, with less complications and down time on the jobsite, thus saving money to our clients.
- We coordinate any required Engineering, Truss and HVAC designs, HERS Raters and Verifiers, and train framers in Advanced Framing techniques.
- All homes are designed with Dew Point and Permeability analysis to help us specify the correct insulation products and techniques to minimize possible condensation and thermal bridging.
- All sheathing and insulation must be sealed and tape to achieve a tight building enclosure.
- All homes should have a Blower Door test to measure leakage at around 1ACH50 or less.
- HVAC systems must be designed with Manuals J, D, T & S by a Mechanical Engineer. All ducts and air handling equipment must be in the conditioned space, and the system must be tested for correct air flows and temperature differentials.
- Energy efficient and resource efficient construction that provides comfortable indoor conditions as defined by ASHRAE Standard 62.2.
- All combustion appliances (except a gas stove or cook top) in the conditioned space must be sealed combustion or power vented.
- Major appliances must be Energy Star.
- All plumbing system and equipment must be of high efficiency for water conservation. You should install a rain water catchment system to collect water for irrigation.
- All lighting should be Light Emitting Diode (LED) or Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL) with the following exceptions: motion-sensitive outdoor spotlights and solar-powered accent and pathway lighting.
- Use recycled/salvaged materials and new materials with a high-recycled content where cost effective and practical.
- All homes must achieve energy performance resulting in a HERS score of 45.0 or better (Lower); which means the house is 55% more efficient than a 2006 Energy Code reference house at HERS 100 score.
- All homes are designed to be ZERO ENERGY READY or ZERO ENERGY homes, following the guidelines of DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Homes
- All homes must have an approved Home Owner’s Manual and education on how to operate a green building house, and live in a responsible and sustainable manner.
