How I electrified my Northern Michigan home
Part I: Cold Climates
by Nate Russell
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A few years ago, I had the opportunity and privilege to design and build a high performance all-electric home in northwest lower Michigan. Read on to learn about the electric equipment, our experiences to date, and some data on hot water, minisplit, and overall energy use.
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One of my primary motivations for prioritizing all-electric was to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and address not only direct concerns like combustion safety and indoor air quality, but also the higher-level issues of fossil fuel combustion, mining, and transport. In forgoing gas appliances and equipment in my home I am effectively shifting some of that fossil fuel use to the grid (our utility energy mix is currently 19% renewable). However, implementing energy efficiency measures and greening the grid should happen in parallel—we don’t have to wait for one before doing the other.
What does it mean to go high performance and all-electric in a cold climate? When focusing on the energy aspects of high performance, I like to think of it as first reducing the energy demand of the home, then meeting it as efficiently as possible. The former is driven by the building envelope and translates to using exterior continuous insulation, better windows, improved air tightness, and heat recovery ventilation as shown by the specs for my home.
The latter boils down to selecting high performance electric equipment—let’s take a look at that for HVAC, domestic hot water, and cooking.
Read the rest of Nates's blog post!
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BE Product Guide
Heat Pump Water Heaters
by Max Moran
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In the market for, curious about or looking to compare Heat Pump Water Heaters? We have just the resource for you! Beyond Efficiency has been working on various product guides to make all-electric and electrification choices easier than ever. Click on the image below, or follow this link, to check out our start at a comprehensive Heat Pump Water Heater product guide.
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New staff profile: Annette Hartsfield
Finance + Contracts Manager
by Laken Rush Allen
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Annette holds a Master of Anthropology from San Francisco State University and has worked in office management and development most of her professional life. She spent seven years at Build It Green in various roles, starting as the office administrator and ending as senior project manager in the marketing and communications department, writing and editing much of the organization’s newsletter and web copy.
Annette left the green building industry in 2013 to be a full-time parent and household manager. She joined Beyond Efficiency to bring her capacity for order and meticulous detail to the finance and operations team by managing insurance, contracts, monthly invoicing and other accounting tasks.
Q: What's your favorite thing about working at Beyond Efficiency?
A: There’s a well-known quote about always surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you, that I’ve always tried to live by. Working at Beyond Efficiency definitely fulfills that and is hands-down my favorite part.
Q: What's a recent work accomplishment you're really proud of?
A: Returning to the work world after nine years of taking care of my household and my children feels like a huge accomplishment. Re-joining some of my former colleagues whom I respect and admire in a field that is making a real difference is a super-cool bonus!
Q: What's an amazing personal accomplishment not many people know about?
A: During the pandemic I mastered side crow, headstand, forearm balance, and I can almost get to a handstand away from the wall! This feels like an amazing accomplishment to me because it’s something I had just assumed I would never be able to do.
Q: What's your secret talent?
A: Not only can I drive a stick shift, I can drive a stick shift in Italy where traffic rules are apparently optional. I also make really cool animal costumes for kids.
Learn more about Annette and her teammates
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New staff profile: Max Moran
Sustainability + Energy Engineer
by Laken Rush Allen
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Max holds a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Vermont. Prior to joining Beyond Efficiency, Max worked as a structural engineer at engineering consulting firms in Jackson, Wyoming. Working on both commercial and residential projects, Max has experience in all phases of construction. From providing pre-construction value engineering to preparing 100% structural construction documents, Max brings a wide range of design and construction expertise to the BE team.
Max's passion for healthy and active lifestyles drives his interest in green building and sustainable design. Max strives to provide building design insights that provide the highest level of sustainable practices while fostering community engagement and social growth.
Q: What's your favorite thing about working at Beyond Efficiency?
A: I really enjoy the push to created stakeholder centered projects while adhering to company-wide sustainability values and principals.
Q: What are the most exciting trends you see today in sustainable building?
A: I am excited by the recent advances in construction techniques, products, and knowledge that allow buildings to reach high performance standards with no or minimal added costs. Outside of the building industry, I am intrigued by the push to create safe, walkable, car-free built environments and transportation systems.
Q: What's an amazing accomplishment most people don't know about?
A: I have converted a 1970s gas powered Suzuki motorcycle to 100% battery electric.
Q: Finally, what would you do if you weren't helping create enduring human-centered buildings?
A: Advocating for and promoting cycle and pedestrian friendly infrastructure projects.
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Noteworthy Events
We'll be presenting, attending, or wishing we were there
March 16, 2022
Embodied Carbon: Building Decarbonization Series, Online
USGBC Northern California and USGBC Orange County will host this webinar with leading professionals to discuss the work they are doing to advance the decarbonization of materials and construction. Embodied carbon in a building represents a 25%-28% opportunity to address CO2 emissions and will become an increasingly key component of decarbonization buildings.
March 16, 2022
Energy Modeling Done Right: Optimizing Building Outcomes, Online
Unfortunately, too many design teams either forego energy modeling entirely or just use it to check a box for code compliance rather than using is as the powerful building design tool that it is. Energy modeling done right helps teams make informed decisions that optimize energy efficiency without compromising budgets or performance. Join the California Energy Design Assistance program to learn how to get the most out of your project energy design to deliver higher performance, better comfort, and increased asset value.
March 24, 2022
Electrifying the Future, Online
Brought to you by the Building Decarbonization Coalition, learn how electrical panels no longer need be a barrier to whole-home electrification. SPAN, the San Francisco-based startup behind a better, smarter breaker panel, gives homeowners unprecedented control over how they manage and monitor their energy usage. SPAN is on a mission to future-proof the home by making it easier to electrify, resulting in a smarter, more convenient path to decarbonization.
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Build It Green: Building Our Future Working Group
March 30, 2022
Affordable, Equitable Decarbonization, Online
How can residential decarbonization be accelerated using cost-effective methods that ensure the most vulnerable populations are prioritized? Brought to you by Build It Green, this meeting will give you an opportunity to connect with peers also interested in the topic, to collaboratively explore transformative ideas and actions, and to consider goals and parameters for what we can accomplish together.
March 30, 2022
Indoor Air Quality Impact Modeling, Online
COVID-19 has brought the issue of indoor air quality to the forefront of building science. Virus mitigation strategies range in effectiveness, efficiency, and costs depending on the building type, use types, and local climate. Using Open Studio and Energy+, the IDL examined the energy and cost impacts of six different mitigation strategies for commercial buildings in the Treasure Valley. This webinar is presented by the University of Idaho's Integrated Design Lab in Boise (IDL) Building Simulation Users Group (BSUG) and Idaho Power.
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