Run solely on renewable energy sources, every aspect of the home’s design was calculated to conserve energy and capture as much of the sun’s energy for heat in the winter and cooling in the summer.
The Net Zero Home
Case Study from | S-5!
The Project
Located in the historic district of Society Hill in Piscataway NJ is “The NetZero Home,” a sprawling, state-of-the-art 6,000-square-foot LEED Platinum Certified residence built solely with sustainability, energy efficiency and comfort in mind.
With its impressive facade durably constructed of insulated concrete forms and draped with fiber cement siding featuring both vertical and horizontal patterns for a striking effect, this innovative structure is accentuated by handsome cultured stone finishes and two grand stone columns at its entrance.
The subtle look of the travertine walkways intermingled with accent stone, cable railings and cedar accents (struts and soffits), complement the assortment of earth tones, all brought together by a dark bronze standing seam metal roof, providing a clean, crisp finish to this classic, contemporary home.
Run solely on renewable energy sources, every aspect of the home’s design was calculated to conserve energy and capture as much of the sun’s energy for heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. The home features a 31+kW PV solar system on its south-facing roof and nine Tesla Powerwall® storage batteries (7.6 kilowatts each) as a supplemental power source.
The PVKIT® direct-attach™ rail-less, solar mounting solution secures 80 LG high-efficiency solar panels in place, and the PVKONCEAL™ module skirt conceals the lower edge of the modules and all mechanical and electrical components underneath. The roof also features the complete ColorGard® snow retention system.
The Challenge
There were numerous challenges on the project, not to mention the ongoing supply chain issues and work stoppages due to the pandemic.
The main metal roof is a fairly complex design with a variety of angles, cuts and intricate roof details. Because it is a custom-built home with so many environmental objectives and requirements, the roof installation was even more complex.
Additionally, Suntuity Home desired quality roof attachments for this new high-end roof. Aesthetics, durability, perfect color and finish matching, and penetration-free attachments that would maintain the roof’s integrity, were all crucial factors in selecting rooftop attachments.
The Solution
The metal roof panels, made from 25% recycled material, are environmentally friendly and are LEED and ENERGY STAR® compliant. The low-gloss, IR-reflective coating helps reduce energy consumption and will keep the roof surface approximately 60-70 degrees cooler during the summer months.
The roof also serves as the ideal platform for solar integration since the solar panels could be mounted directly onto the standing seams of the roof utilizing S-5!’s penetration-free, solar solution. The PVKIT direct-attach system was selected for its strength, durability and ease of installation.
S-5!’s new PVKONCEAL module skirt creates an attractive, clean, finished look. It also keeps critters, debris and other unwanted objects out from under the solar array.
Additionally, S-5!’s ColorGard mounted to every roof surface protects the grounds from dangerous melting snow and ice sliding off the roof. ColorGard was chosen for its excellent performance, compatibility with Englert’s standing seam panel design and aesthetics.
Additional Environmental Features
- Warmboard geothermal heating system to heat the entire home
- 5-zone cooling system that follows the path of the sun from East to West
- Dual hybrid backup heat pump system
- 100% LED lighting throughout
- 3-pane, argon-filled Low E windows
- Panoramic doors
- 18,000-square-foot rain catchment system that will save and recycle up to 40,000 gallons of water per year
- 29,000-gallon infinity pool
Long-Term Outlook
With strong support for this pilot project, Suntuity Home hopes to set a new visionary trend for sustainable homeownership throughout the country. The S-5! attachments enabled them to achieve the quality look they wanted, maintain the roof’s integrity, and complement the look of the roof with a clean appearance and perfect color and finish-matching, designed and engineered to last the life of the roof.
Project Team
Architect: Square Center LLC Architecture and Design
Design Build Contractor: Suntuity Home
Roofing Contractor: MBL Construction
Solar Installer: Suntuity Solar
Module Manufacturer: DualSun SPRING® hybrid solar panels
Microinverter Manufacturer: Enphase
Battery Storage: Tesla storage batteries (7.6 kilowatts each)
Project Stats
- Roof Profile: Englert A1500 snap-lock architectural metal roof system
- Roof Measured: 5,000+ square feet on the main roof + the outdoor adjacent kitchen
- Roof Pitch: 24 degrees
- Solar Project Size: 31+ kW
- Solar Modules: 80 rooftop DualSun’s SPRING® hybrid solar modules
- Battery System: 9 Tesla Powerwall® storage batteries (7.6 kilowatts each)
- S-5! Products Supplied:
o ColorGard® 8’ long sections (352 ft.)
o S-5-S™ Clamp (166)
o Snoclip™ II (147)
o PVKIT® in black (360)
o S-5-S™ Mini clamp (360)
o PVKONCEAL™ (56 ft.)
"By leveraging our access to the most advanced technologies the solar industry has to offer, we continually push innovative boundaries to increase energy efficiency and system performance—all in an effort to provide the best and most effective renewable energy solutions to our customers. Product quality, unmatched service and a commitment to innovation are the keys to our success and the hallmark to who we are as a company.
Our associations with partners like S-5! is a testimony to that commitment. For this reason, Suntuity is proud to count S-5! as one of our preferred providers of building materials. We are so confident in S-5! products that we selected them as a partner in one of our most important and high-profile endeavors to date, our Net Zero Home Program. S-5! roof attachments are a game changer and the gold standard in the industry—more importantly S-5!'s commitment to quality and innovation aligns perfectly with our own core philosophy. We are proud of our association with S-5!, and we look forward to partnering with them in providing renewable energy solutions to building owners and homeowners for years to come."
—Mitch Gaber, Partner Development, Suntuity Solar
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AltEnergyMag
S-5!
In 1992, S-5! invented the very market space of manufactured roof attachment solutions. S-5!'s clamps and brackets are engineered for a variety of applications, including residential and commercial solar installations on exposed-fastened and standing seam metal roofing. The company has a portfolio of more than 5+ GigaWatts of rooftop solar arrays, including many Fed-Ex and Walmart buildings; 700 Costco stores in eight countries; international airports; and corporate headquarters for Google, IBM, NATO, NREL and Apple. S-5! technologies are also affordable for domestic applications with more than 15,000 such solar installations in 50 countries.
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