Page 35 - Green Builder Magazine Sept-Oct 2017

VENTILATION INTEGRATED COMFORT SYSTEM (VICS)
DEVELOPERS: Steven Winters Associates Inc., Mitsubishi Electric,
dPoint Technologies
CURRENT STATUS: First prototype under development
EXPECTED COMPLETION DATE: July 2019
Balanced, heat recovery ventilation (H/ERV) is becoming a more obvious choice
in very tight, energy-efficient homes. But the installation process remains very
expensive—about $3,000 per home—and can be challenging to integrate
effectively. Many current H/ERV installations have poor integration, inconsis-
tent controls, questionable
delivery of outdoor air, and
high energy use.
Steven Winters Associ-
ates Inc. has taken on the
task of creating a way to
enable heating, cooling,
CREDIT: MONOPATH LLC tilation in a single-duct
and whole building ven-
system. The goal is to help
airtight homes achieve 40
percent to 60 percent en-
Outside looking in. A long-ignored construction method in which
insulation and water protectant are placed on the exterior of a ergy savings by reducing
home could popularity thanks to new cost-cutting efforts by thermal ventilation loads,
builder MonoPath LLC. without loss of indoor air

AFFORDABLE SOLID-PANEL “PERFECT WALL” SYSTEM quality. The Ventilation In-
tegrated Comfort System CREDIT: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC COOLING AND HEATING
DEVELOPERS: University of Minnesota, MonoPath LLC, Building
Knowledge Inc., Huber Engineered Woods, Unico (VICS), which will feature
CURRENT STATUS: Prototypes under development variable speed fans to en-
EXPECTED COMPLETION DATE: June 2019 able low-energy opera-
The concept of a “perfect wall” in housing is not new—researchers at the tion and precise control,
University of Minnesota (UMN) have been studying the idea since the late providing balanced, dis-
All in one. An upcoming Ventilation
1990s. But the design, which calls for placing the building’s insulation and tributed ventilation with
Integrated Comfort System will help cut
water barrier on the outside instead of inside the structure’s wall cavity may heat recovery, should also installation costs, improve indoor
finally catch on with contractors. cut costs by 30 percent to temperature control and lower energy
UMN researchers compare the perfect wall’s exterior insulation to “wrapping 50 percent versus separate bills for many new single- and multi-
family homes.
the whole house in a blanket.” The concept has proven far more expensive than HRV/ERV systems.
traditional insulating, holding back its acceptance by builders. But MonoPath The VICS target market is homes with design loads of less than 10-12 kBtu/h
LLC, which has been testing the method for several years, has found ways to (multiple systems for higher loads). This would include thousands of single-
cut down construction costs. family homes (including those part of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home
MonoPath’s homes require only a few skilled workers and subcontractors, and Passive House programs), as well as most new multi-family apartments
and have fewer home designs. There is an emphasis on interior systems—such built after 2016.
as smaller furnaces and air conditioners—which helps with energy efficiency. Initial interest has been positive among builders and developers surveyed
And, they’re built differently: Standard houses are constructed with hundreds of about the product. ERV/HRVs were not standard for those surveyed, but those
relatively small wooden panels that are assembled piece by piece. MonoPath who had used the system considered the experience “a nightmare.” When it
homes use large 8-by-24-foot panels that get hoisted by a crane and are came to the VICS concept, the response was more enthusiastic: “When can
nailed into place in a single day. we get one?”
The lower construction costs also mean a more affordable price for buyers, With the product still under research and development, it will be some
which should boost their popularity. The MonoPath building system works in time. A fully functional prototype should be completed in spring 2018, with
all climate zones, meaning the approach can be easily taken into other national installation into an occupied home expected by next summer. Projected
affordable housing markets. completion date is summer of 2019. GB
The UMN/MonoPath report may be found at http://bit.ly/2hKaGp8. The VICS report may be found at http://bit.ly/2xTVABu.

www.greenbuildermedia.com September/October 2017 GREEN BUILDER 33

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