Field Evaluation: Energy-Efficient Comparison of Custom Built Kemick Homes
Kemick Homes of Ellenton, Florida has partnered with PATH in a field evaluation of energy-efficient equipment. Larry Kemick, President of the Kemick Group, has been in business for over 12 years, and is established in the Sarasota/Bradenton area as a leading energy-efficient custom builder. Kemick Homes worked with the NAHB Research Center to identify field evaluation sites for potential technologies that could become standard options on future custom homes.
A side-by-side test is being conducted to compare the performance of a tankless water heater and a traditional tank water heater, with both being fed by the same solar water pre-heater. This test arrangement is an excellent opportunity to evaluate the performance of a solar water pre-heater, as well as the different methods of maintaining a constant hot water delivery temperature to the house. This will provide similar usage patterns and nearly identical solar pre-heat performance. The set-up may be rearranged towards the end of the test period to optimize the system.
In addition, Kemick Homes’ newest model was equipped with two different types of air conditioners for a side-by-side comparison. Freus™ supplied its evaporatively cooled condensing unit which will be compared to a traditional direct expansion condensing unit. This unit uses evaporative cooling on the condensing coil to improve the system’s performance. The NAHB Research Center will evaluate the performance of this technology in a hot/humid climate for one year.
Read the October 26, 2003 article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
