OceanView Orchard

This development replaces a single-family house that had suffered from extreme deferred maintenance with four new three-bedroom 1600 sq.ft. single-family homes. Connecting the new community will be a new orchard of 18 fruit trees of various species, which will be maintained by the HOA. Panelized wall, floor and roof framing systems are being constructed offsite to minimize material waste and speed up construction. 

Beyond Efficiency was engaged to advise on energy efficiency measures and help prioritize the developer's investments. We guided decisions regarding insulation types and detailing, envelope air tightness strategies, and mechanical systems. Given the site's proximity to Highway 80 and the West Berkeley industrial zone, air quality is of prime concern and a measure we felt should be prioritized over almost anything else. So to provide ventilation quantities required for good health--but without the risks of pulling in polluted air from outdoors--a unique investment was made in this project to provide each home with a balanced ventilation system that will supply fresh filtered air to living and sleeping spaces while exhausting an equal quantity of moist stale air from bathrooms. This is accomplished with heat-recovery ventilation systems (HRVs) to maximize energy efficiency.

Space heating and DHW will be provided with high-efficiency condensing gas boilers, and solar PV systems are being sized with the goal of achieving net zero electricity for each home. As of early 2015, the project is in rough framing.