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Visually Impaired Transcript for Net-Zero Energy House Video

Visually Impaired Transcript: Net-Zero Energy House Video
VISUAL:  Fade up from black to wide shot of Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility (NZERTF), a typical-looking suburban home.
 
Narrator: IT MAY LOOK LIKE AN ORDINARY HOUSE IN SUBURBIA ... BUT THIS BUILDING IS ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL.

VISUAL:  Cut to rapid sequence of video shots showing wiring and piping in ceiling, a thermostat, an air duct with the words "high velocity" on it, solar panels on roof, computer connections, geothermal energy pipes, air conditioners and water pipes.

VISUAL:  Video showing wide shot of NZERTF under construction.

VISUAL:  Dissolve to a graphic with a collage of nature images on it and an Earth globe in the center. Over the globe, an image of a light bulb base appears.  A graphic of a tree then sprouts from the bulb base.

Narrator:  THAT'S BECAUSE THE FOLKS WHO BUILT IT BELIEVE THAT WHEN IT COMES TO ENERGY ... NOTHING LOST IS EVERYONE'S GAIN.

VISUAL:  Video showing wide shot of NZERTF.

Narrator:  WELCOME TO THE NET-ZERO ENERGY RESIDENTIAL TEST FACILITY ...

VISUAL:  Video showing entrance sign on the NIST Gaithersburg, Md., campus.

Narrator:  A SPECIAL LABORATORY ON THE CAMPUS OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY IN GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND.

VISUAL:  Video showing water heater in NZERTF basement, a rolled-up set of design plans, and then a closeup of the plans, showing the words "Energy efficiency and renewable energy."

Narrator:  USING COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGIES ... NIST ENGINEERS AND THEIR COLLABORATORS ...

VISUAL:  Dissolve to graphic showing an exploded view of the inside layout of the NZERTF. Camera zooms into kitchen area of graphic, then the scene dissolves to video of the actual kitchen.

Narrator:  DESIGNED A TWO-STORY, 27-HUNDRED-SQUARE-FOOT LABORATORY THAT LOOKS ... AND BEHAVES ... LIKE A HOUSE.

VISUAL:  Video of washer/dryer combination in NZERTF, followed by dissolve to video of the front of the house, then geothermal energy pipes and gauges, and finally closeup of gauge.


VISUAL:  Graphic of one month of a calendar appears with red outline surrounding one date. Red outline moves from date to date across one week on the calendar.

Narrator:  HOWEVER ... THIS BUILDING PRODUCES AS MUCH ENERGY AS IT CONSUMES OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR.

VISUAL:  Video showing closeup of thermostat and then side of NZERTF.

Narrator:  AND BEST OF ALL ... THAT EFFICIENCY COMES WITHOUT SACRIFICING CURB APPEAL.

VISUAL:  Cut to NIST engineer Hunter Fanney standing in front of NZERTF.  

Hunter Fanney: "The goal of the facility is to demonstrate that over the course of a year, a home similar in size and aesthetics with all of the features a family in surrounding communities would want can achieve net zero. That is, over the course of a year, you would have [a] zero energy building, yet enjoy all of the amenities and size of a home typical of the surrounding community."

VISUAL:  Video showing living room area of NZERTF.

Narrator:  DURING A ONE-YEAR EXPERIMENT TO PROVE THAT A BALANCED-
ENERGY HOME IS FUNCTIONAL AS WELL AS ECONOMICAL ...

VISUAL:  Video showing computer graphic of NZERTF living room with furniture and electronics included. Camera zooms out from graphic to show technician looking at it on computer monitor.

Narrator:  NIST IS USING A COMPUTER-CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT TO SIMULATE A FAMILY OF FOUR LIVING THERE.

VISUAL:  Hunter Fanney on camera in front of NZERTF.

Hunter Fanney: "Examples of things that will be operated in the house to mimic a typical family of four will be things ...

VISUAL:  Video shows showers, lights on ceiling, graphic of TV on computer monitor, and washer/dryer combination.
Hunter Fanney (voice over video):  "... such as showers will be operated at the same time and for the same duration. Lights within the various rooms will come on and come off to mimic the movement of people throughout the house. Appliances will come on and off such as TV sets, computers, kitchen appliances ... the washer and dryer will be operated ... and [the] dishwasher ...
VISUAL:   Hunter Fanney on camera in front of NZERTF.
Hunter Fanney:  "... to mimic the typical usage in a family of four."

VISUAL:  Video showing wide shot of heating units used to mimic the body temperature of humans, followed by closeup shot of one unit.

Narrator:  WHAT THESE VIRTUAL RESIDENTS ARE PUTTING TO THE TEST ...

VISUAL:  Video showing pipes in basement ceiling, two technicians monitoring pipes used for moving geothermal heat and outside air-conditioning units.

Narrator:  ... ARE A HOST OF STATE-OF-THE-ART ENERGY-SAVING AND ENERGY-PRODUCING STRATEGIES. THESE INCLUDE ...

VISUAL:  Video showing insulation on garage walls during construction of NZERTF.

Narrator:  ... WALLS AND ROOFING INSULATED TO MORE THAN TWICE THE LEVEL FOUND IN TYPICAL HOMES ...

VISUAL:  Video showing air-moisture barrier attached to wall framework during construction of NZERTF.

Narrator:  ... A CONTINUOUS AIR-MOISTURE BARRIER THAT HEALS ITSELF WHEN PIERCED ...

VISUAL:  Video showing solar cells on ground before installation on NZERTF roof.

Narrator:  ... PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS TO CONVERT THE SUN'S ENERGY INTO ELECTRICITY ...

VISUAL:  Video showing solar water heating system in basement and then upstairs shower.

Narrator:  ... A SOLAR WATER HEATING SYSTEM THAT ENSURES THE LAST PERSON IN THE SHOWER GETS AS MUCH HOT WATER AS THE FIRST ...

VISUAL:  Video during construction of NZERTF showing geothermal energy conductors in trench before burial.

Narrator:  ... AND GEOTHERMAL HEATING AND COOLING THAT USES THE RELATIVELY CONSTANT TEMPERATURE OF THE GROUND TO KEEP THINGS PLEASANT.

VISUAL:  Video showing technician at computer monitor calling up schedule for turning appliances on and off in NZERTF, followed by closeup shot of the schedule.

Narrator:  BUT WHAT NIST IS REALLY PUTTING TO THE TEST AT THE NET-ZERO ENERGY FACILITY IS SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS.

VISUAL:  Hunter Fanney on camera in front of NZERTF.

Hunter Fanney: "Traditionally, the way that the performance of heating and cooling equipment and appliances is measured is in pristine laboratory conditions.

VISUAL:  Video of technician reading gauge on water heater in NZERTF basement, followed by him writing down the reading.

Hunter Fanney (voice over video):  "This facility here, being a true house, gives us the ability to measure and develop the metrics to measure the performance of heating and cooling and appliances in a real-world environment."

VISUAL:  Dissolve to video showing wide shot of NZERTF front and then side.

Narrator:  HOPEFULLY ... WHAT WE LEARN FROM THIS UNIQUE NIST LABORATORY ...

VISUAL:  Video showing weather stripping on NZERTF window.

Narrator:  ... WILL PAVE THE WAY TO BETTER CODES AND STANDARDS ...

VISUAL:   Video of ductwork in NZERTF basement, followed by technician installing plastic piping into floor.

Narrator:  ... ADVANCES IN BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ...

VISUAL:  Video showing wide shot of NZERTF.

Narrator:  ... AND A NEW GENERATION OF HIGHLY ENERGY-EFFICIENT HOMES AND WORKPLACES.

VISUAL: Fade to black, then dissolve in credits (five pages). Text on screens read as follows:

For more information on the
NIST Net Zero Energy Residential Test Facility, visit
www.nist.gov/el/nzertf

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Non-NIST still images, animations and video used with permission by:
Revostock

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NIST Video Production Staff

Producer/Scriptwriter:                  Michael E. Newman
Producer/Videographer:               Leon Gerskovic
Videographer/Editor:                    Sabrina Xaviar

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The display of products and services in this program
is for demonstration purposes only
and does not imply an endorsement by NIST.

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Produced by

National Institute of Standards and Technology
Public Affairs Office

September 2012

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VISUAL:  Fade to black.

Created September 11, 2012, Updated September 21, 2016