Figure 2: Energy Sa vings Pe r Conservation Measur e. What is the big piece of information in this bar graph? Easy. “Other” is the problem. “Other” represents the miscellaneous energy loads (MEL). The consumer electr onics industry has to ge t its act together. The savings on the enclosure and other appliances will be wasted if this load is not addressed. It does not look good, as MELs are actually growing while we are doing great things with everything else. insulation installed in two 2 in. (50 mm) layers. The exterior seams were taped with flashing and sheathing tape to provide rainwater control. The wood frame cavities were insulated with cellulose. Roof construction was similar to the wall construction (Figure 1). Cladding attachment was facilitated by installing 1×4 wood furring over the 4 in. (100 mm) of rigid insulation using long epoxy coated steel screws. Engineering values for the 1×4 wood furring cladding support were developed using simple “bench top” testing (Photo 3). Standard cladding attachment was then used to attach cladding to the 1×4 wood furring (Photo 4). Published tables for cladding attachment found in the model building codes were followed. Window openings were lined with 0.5 in. (12.5 mm) thick plywood boxes that extended outward 4 in. (100 mm) past the exterior face of the stud wall framing such that their exterior edge lined up flush with the exterior surface of the exterior rigid foam insulating sheathing (Photo 5). Typical flanged residential windows were installed with the flanges overlapping the exterior surface of the rigid foam insulating sheathing. Attachment was with mounting straps typically used with masonry openings (Photo 6). Exterior trim was attached over the top of the exterior 1x4 wood furring (Photo 7). Standard The Westford Metrics Superinsulated: R-66 roof, R-46 above grade walls, R-26 basement perimeter insulation, R-10 under slab insulation Ultratight: 1.5 air changes per hour at 50 Pa (0.20 Pa) as tested by pressurization Controlled Ventilation with Heat Recovery: Ventilation rate established by ASHRAE Standard 62.2—fully ducted, balanced ventilation Good Glass: R-5 glass: triple glazed; U=0.20; SHGC=0.19; krypton gasfilled Good Appliances: All from the top 10% of the ENERGY STAR® range Good Lighting: CFL throughout Good Equipment: 95% percent AFUE gas furnace, instantaneous gas water heater (0.82 EF), 16 SEER A/C Smart Controls: The “other” needs to be limited. Turn things off when you are not using them. Controls do that. water management (pan flashing and flashing tape) for rigid foam sheathing was used. The Westford House lead to the development of the “Westford Metrics” for high performance houses in cold climates. The Westford Metrics list (at right) yields a house with a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index of 40. Under the HERS Index a reference ashrae.org home is assigned a HERS Index of 100, while a net zero energy home is assigned a HERS Index of 0. Figure 2 presents the individual energy features of the Westford Metrics and their corresponding and cumulative effect on energy consumption for a house of approximately 2,300 ft2 (700 m2) of conditioned space (including the basement floor area). December 2008 64 ASHRAE Journal