Tighthouse Passive House

As the first official Certified Passive House in New York City, the Tighthouse embodies the opportunity for old masonry buildings to achieve exceptional energy performance.

  • Walls/Roof/Foundation

    EIFS stucco
    Masonry
    Steel beam
    Steel studs

    Windows/Doors

    U Value 0.16

    Insulation

    EIFS with EPS foam, closed cell spray foam and mineral wool
    R10 Slab
    R20/R30 Foundation
    R30 Above Grade Walls
    R60 Roof

  • Heating/Cooling

    Ducted air source heat pump (9HSPF, 15 SEER)

    Ventilation

    HRV (95% sensible, 0.42 W/cfm)

    Hot Water

    Solar hot water

Thermal image of row houses and parked vehicles on a street.
Modern kitchen with large windows, white cabinets, an island, teal bar stools, pendant lights, and exposed wooden beams.

  • Goals.  As part of the home's full renovation and addition, the homeowner sought the consulting and mechanical design assistance of ZED to target exceptional energy performance and vastly improve the comfort of the house.

    Solution.  ZED developed a building enclosure for both the renovated portion home and the new addition that minimizes air leakage, thermal bridging, and heat loss. The latest in high efficiency all electric systems were installed, and paired with a solar electric system to help offset consumption.

    Enclosure.  The super-insulated building enclosure includes walls and roof both utilizing wood frame construction, filled with dense packed cellulose, plus 2" for the walls and 4" for the roof of polyiso exterior to the sheathing. A taped building wrap over the sheathing and under the polyiso acts as the primary air barrier. The windows are all triple pane throughout the home.

    Systems.  A ground source heat pump provides radiant floor heating and ducted cooling for the house, while an energy recovery ventilator offers constant balanced fresh air with heat recovery. A 10.1 kW PV system helps off-set energy consumption. A Stiebel Eltron heat pump hot water heater creates domestic hot water for the house. Appliances are energy efficient, including an induction cooktop, and lighting is LED.

    Result.  The house uses 85% less energy than a comparable house built to minimum code requirements. Additionally, it offsets nearly 100% of its energy consumption on-site through photovoltaic panels, essentially achieving net zero energy.

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Services:
Energy Consulting

Performance:

EUI: 8.2 kBtu/sf/yr
Air Leakage: 0.38ACH50

Heat Demand  4.42 kBTU/(ft2yr)
Air Tightness  0.38 ACH50 (first test)
Primary Energy  35.00 kBTU/(ft2yr)
Cooling Demand  1.42 kBTU/(ft2yr)
Heat Load  6.08 kBTU/(ft2yr)
Cooling Load  7.74 kBTU/(ft2yr)

Certification:

Certified Passive House

Project Team:

Architecture: Fete Nature Architecture

Passive House Consultant & Mechanical Designer: ZED

Three-story row house with gray facade, large windows, and black iron railing stairs, with trees and neighboring brick buildings in Brooklyn, New York.
Close-up of a multi-story building facade with grey and brown exterior walls, featuring tall narrow windows with decorative moldings and reflections of trees and sky.
A modern narrow black four-story house with large windows, located between two older buildings, with a backyard area.
A comparison chart of energy use between a tightly built house and a standard house. The tight house has 86% reduction in site energy and 79% reduction in source energy, using 8.1 and 21.9 kBTU/ft/yr respectively. The standard house has 105.3 kBTU/ft
Comparison of costs between a tight house and a standard house, showing potential annual savings of $2,898 with a tight house, which is 66% less expensive to operate. The illustration includes diagrams of both house types with price labels and a note
A 3D graph depicting the Tighthouse Net Present Value (NPV) over 30 years. The graph includes a building with stairs, axes labeled with value in dollars and time in years, and bars showing increasing net present value, with detailed dollar amounts on
Diagram comparing predicted versus actual energy use in a passive house, showing a house interior with solar PV system and energy modeling software data.
A gray townhouse with decorative window frames, stairs leading to a glass door, and a small flower arrangement on the right side.
Construction site of a building wrapped with blue tarps and scaffolding, with neighboring brick and stucco buildings.
People working on a construction project in an unfinished basement with stone walls, installing a waterproof liner on the floor.
Interior of a room under construction with three large windows and a door, showing trees outside with white blossoms and construction supplies inside.
Modern interior staircase with glass sides and a metal railing, leading to a bright room with large windows, wooden flooring, and children playing on a red rug.
Modern kitchen with a large window, kitchen island with three teal chairs, stainless steel refrigerator, dark wooden ceiling beams, and white walls.
Minimalist white desk with three framed artworks on top, brown mid-century modern chair, potted plant, and red rug, in a bright room with large window and wooden floor.
Balcony with two green chairs and a blue side table, overlooking city buildings and trees on a clear day.