Dentaltown September 2015 - (Page 35)

sustainability special section Passivhaus: Dentists get their green on Adam Cohen, RA, CPHC, LEED AP Superior construction means lower energy costs and increased comfort A newly constructed dental clinic can The Passivhaus clinic constructed for Drs. Dickey, Singleton and Lynch in Roanoke, Virginia. The building reduces energy consumption thanks to features like a passive geothermal ground loop, heating and cooling recovery systems and airtight insulation. achieve up to 67 percent in energy savings compared to the average U.S. dental clinic, while increasing comfort and air quality. This was the experience of Drs. Sean Lynch, Randolph Dickey, and John Singleton in Roanoke, Virginia, whose practice is housed in the world's fi rst Passivhaus-certified, low-energy dental office. Passivhaus-literally, "Passive House" -is the world's strictest standard for building energy performance. A Passivhaus building is exceptionally airtight, with excellent mechanical ventilation and thermal performance. The principles and methods of the system are calculation-based and performance-driven, with a strict focus on operating energy. A key element is reducing space heating and cooling-often one of the largest factors in a building's energy consumption-and at the same time, retaining comfort and maintaining excellent air quality. First developed in Germany in the early 1990s, the Passivhaus standard has become the fastest-growing certification in the world, with more than 30,000 buildings constructed to date. These dentists in Roanoke were looking to build a new, 5,400-square-foot office as they prepared to transition their 30-yearold practice to a new generation. My firm proposed a Passivhaus-certified building. My experience building 11 previous dental clinics had shown me that clinics are exceptionally well suited for Passivhaus construction. The nature of the Passivhaus methodology and the requirements of a dental clinic create synergistic interactions between Passivhaus design principles and dental clinic buildings. Dental clinic building analysis During the initial design studies for the clinic, we spent 2.5 months gathering real-time data on the existing equipment's energy usage. This opportunity was very fortunate for the team, as this type of real-world data is hard to come by. Once the design and monitoring were complete, we calculated energy models of both a standard code-built building and the proposed Passivhaus building. Our results showed that the Passivhaus building would use approximately 75 percent less heating and cooling energy, and an impressive 50 percent less overall energy than if the clinic were built to the current energy-code requirements. The last piece of the puzzle we needed for the group's decision was a cost figure. With our track record of dental clinic design/build, we had very accurate realtime cost information. Our experience is that in our region the typical delivered dentaltown.com \\ SEPTEMBER 2015 35 http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown September 2015

On Dentaltown.com
Continuing Education Update
Industry News
Product Profile: Planmeca
New Products
You Should Know: Lean Dental Solutions
Practice Solutions: Ultradent
Ad Index
Dentally Incorrect
CONTINUING EDUCATION: Considerations for Treatment of External Cervical Invasive Resorption
Case Report: Microbrush Stamp Technique
Working Through Pain: How Chronic Conditions Affect Dentists
HOWARD SPEAKS: Know Your Numbers
PROFESSIONAL COURTESY: TV Shows for Dentists
Passivhaus: Dentists Get Their Green On
A Green Dentist in a Bluegrass State
NuSmile Preveneered SSC Tips
Yet Again, Immediate Molar— Drill First, Extract Later
Turning Over a New Leaf
The 5 Tenets of Practice Success
Understanding the Sjögren’s Patient: Facilitating Diagnosis of Sjögren’s Syndrome
Sleepy Hollow Dentist Wants to Make a Change
Seeing the True Resorption Picture
Oral Squamous-Cell Carcinoma Detection
Solutions for Effectively Managing a Dental Offi ce
Seminar and Travel Pay: It’s No Vacation
Insurance Management is Easy if You Start with Evaluation

Dentaltown September 2015