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Birch House

    • Bundle Design Studio built this 2,065-square-foot home in Bellingham, Washington, to the performance criteria of the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program.
    • Sliding wooden screens provide shading on south-facing windows, while the planted “green” roof helps control storm water runoff.
    • Over the 2-by-6 framing, the builder installed a continuous thermal blanket, draft protection, and water barrier consisting of plywood sheathing covered with a roller-applied elastomeric weatherproof coating, then mineral wool insulation board, then furring strips to create an air gap behind the metal and cedar siding.
    • Roof lines were angled to optimize the angle for solar energy production from the 9.28-kW photovoltaic electric generation system.
    • The harvested rainwater irrigation system provides water to the large vegetable garden.
    • The mild and moist Northwest climate contributes to the house achieving both zero-energy and zero-water goals. Rainwater provides all of the home's domestic water. Passive solar design combines with electricity-producing solar panels and a highly efficient thermal envelope to bring annual utility costs to a calculated -$91 a year. (Yes, that's negative $91 annually.)
    • The majority of the home's triple-pane windows face south to capture passive solar energy as part of a natural comfort system.
    • The home was equipped with a high-efficiency ENERGY STAR refrigerator and dishwasher for energy and water savings.
    • The home meets the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Indoor airPLUS certification, including the use of structural wood products, primer, paint, cabinets, and flooring that emit no or very few air contaminants.
    • A heat recovery ventilator supplies all living spaces with fresh air while exchanging much of the heat or cooling between the incoming and outgoing air.

      Birch House

      Project Address

      Bellingham, WA

      Conditioned Square Footage
      2,065 sqft
      Number of Bedrooms
      3 Beds
      Number of Bathrooms
      2.0 Baths
      Number of Floors Above Grade
      2 Floors Above Grade
      Home Type
      Custom
      Climate Zone Temperature
      Mixed
      Climate Zone Humidity
      Marine

      With PV

      HERS Index with PV
      -9HERS (PV)
      Average Monthly Energy Bill PV
      $-10Average Monthly Energy Bill (PV)
      Annual Energy Cost Savings with PV
      $1,900Annual Energy Cost Savings (PV)
      30 Year Savings with PV
      $83,00030 Year Savings (PV)

      bundle,llc

      ZERO

      HIA Year
      HIA Status
      Winner
      HIA Category
      Housing Innovation Award

      Learn More

      Key Features

      Key Features
      Air-to-water heat pump All-electric home Energy / Heat recovery ventilator Heat pump water heater High-performance wall with continuous insulation Photovoltaics Triple-pane windows ACH 50 < 2.5 or CFM50/SF of enclosure ≤ 0.25

      Read the Case Study

      See the Poster

      Testimonials

      Video Testimonial
      Home owner (or occupant) Testimony
      We have been blown away at how drastically different living in a high-performance home is compared to a code-minimum house. EVERY builder and client we have worked with using high-performance building strategies has become an advocate. … Our business is steadily growing.
      Testimony Citation
      Dan Welch, owner of Bundle Design Studio and owner, designer, and builder of the Birch House

      Additional Media

      Finished Elevations

        Finished Interiors

          Other Images

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            Floor Plan