eBook: Whole-Home System Design for Comfort and Wellness

High-performance homebuilders have adopted a design approach in which the whole home is considered a single system consisting of interdependent parts.

Framing, walls, insulation, windows, doors, lighting, wiring, controls, power sources, HVAC, and other components of the built environment are evaluated for performance in relation to each other and other variables, including local climate and expected occupant behavior.

With careful attention to how each component and variable condition relates to others, builders produce homes defined by comfort, health, efficiency and durability.

Builders use a whole-home approach to earn recognition by constructing homes meeting or exceeding requirements such as ENERGY STAR®, Zero Energy Ready Home or Passive House certifications.

The foundation of energy efficiency in a high-performance home is a design where interdependent parts result in lower loads than in code-level homes. Lower loads mean less energy needed for operation of mechanical equipment to heat and cool. This eBook is designed to walk you through the fundamentals of high-performance home design with particular attention to how heating and cooling is integral to the comfort and wellness of a home.