Taylorville High School / Pretty Good House Status Update 7: Mechanicals Installation SpotlightDec 20, 2024
It was a cold December day when we visited the Taylorville High School / Pretty Good House net zero project, but as true with homebuilders everywhere, a bit of tough weather doesn’t get in the way.
Matt Blomquist’s students have made great progress over the past two months. Drywall is going up, and mechanical systems are being installed. We will be taking their new CERV2 unit to Taylorville soon, and working with the classes to install the CERV2, Carrier ducted and ductless minisplit heat pumps, Aprilaire dehumidifier, and AO Smith heat pump water heater.
One of Matt’s students had an idea for efficiently delivering fresh air to the home’s occupants (Figure 1). Of course, some folks may need larger than 8” duct and some may need smaller for a good fit. Figures 2 through 6 describe additional activities, including a visit by Jeffrey Martin with Lincoln Land Community College’s workforce training program. Taylorville High School’s construction technology program provides participating students with college credit. Education is the foundation for building a sustainable future!
Follow Matt Blomquist’s Instagram (build_learn_teach) posts to see the most recent and all of the THS build program activities.
Figure 1: Photo of one of Matt’s Taylorville High School students modeling a new way to deliver fresh air to home occupants!Figure 2: Matt (yellow jacket) talks with the concrete folks finishing the driveway. The young person standing in the garage door was one of Matt’s former students and works for the concrete construction company. He spent much of the morning running the jack hammer where youthful muscle is much appreciated. High school home building programs develop skills every community needs.Figure 3: Matt is gathering students at the beginning of class to divide them into work groups. The north half of the home has a lowered ceiling, allowing easy installation of ductwork along the length of the house. Two fresh air supply ducts for the open family room area can be seen. The wide doorway is the kitchen area with a lowered ceiling. The Carrier ductless minisplit unit will be located on the wall above Matt’s head. The Carrier ducted minisplit unit will be integrated with the Aprilaire E080 ducted dehumidifier and controlled by the CERV2 smart air quality management system.Figure 4: This is a view from the kitchen, viewing west along the north side of the house through studs where two bathrooms and a bedroom are located. Drywall will go up in this section after ductwork installed above the lowered ceiling. The mechanical room and laundry room are to the east and also in line on the north side, providing efficient, easy access for running supply and return air ducts. Our hardy concrete friends came in from the cold to warm up in the balmy 50F interior (note; wood fiber ceiling insulation has not been installed yet).Figure 5: Jeffrey Martin speaks to students about Lincoln Land Community College’s workforce training programs. Matt works closely with LLCC, with college students periodically visiting and working at the THS PGH net zero home. Matt’s high school students receive LLCC credit toward an associate’s degree in building construction. It’s a win-win situation for the students and the Taylorville community!Figure 6: Free merch from Jeff! One of the THS students shows the brightly colored tee shirts distributed to all of us. LLCC’s workforce training program provides essential community education in a variety of areas with flexible ways for folks in their region to improve skills.
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