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These days, it seems that virtually everyone is promoting his or her products and business practices as “green.” While the intent is positive, not all that is said to be green actually makes a positive environmental di fference. Building better homes truly makes sense, and the move toward green building is surely worth pursuing. After all, our homes consume up to one-third of the energy needed to keep North America running, so reducing the energy homes use could have a significant positive impact on our environment.
Today we have the knowledge, processes and products available to build homes that use a fraction of the energy previously required - implementation is relatively simple. A greater challenge we face is retrofitting our existing housing stock to reduce energy use.
To illustrate how existing homes can be transformed from energy guzzlers to models of e fficiency, we searched throughout North America and found an excellent example in Doug Steege and Kris Euclide’s house located in Madison, Wisconsin. Originally built in 1922, the residence was completely renovated inside and out in 2006 utilizing readily available materials and products. Th e result is a very comfortable dwelling where Doug and Kris enjoy much lower energy bills and excellent indoor air quality.
Th e foundation and wall insulation were upgraded and an R100 insulation level was achieved in the attic. Old, leaky windows were replaced with triple-glazed, “Low E”, argon- filled units carefully sealed into the building envelope. With the help of air in filtration experts, the entire home was examined for air leakage. Once the air leaks had been sealed, the fi nal air test showed that the air infi ltration had been reduced to less than half that of a typical Wisconsin home.
Reducing air leakage, or making the house “tighter,” led the homeowners to design and implement a mechanical ventilation system to control indoor air quality, taking full advantage of the latest ventilation solutions available in the marketplace. Two HVI-Certifi ed energy recovery ventilators (ERV) were installed to ensure the entire home had the ventilation control to meet not only building code requirements, but also the specifi c needs of its occupants.
An ERV is an excellent choice for a green building as it saves energy year-round. By bringing the exhaust and supply airstreams into close contact in the ERV core, energy is exchanged from one airstream to the other without actually mixing with each other. In the winter, the warmer inside air gives up energy to the cooler outside fresh air bringing it closer to room temperature. In the summer when air conditioning is keeping the house cooler, the cool air being exhausted helps to reduce the temperature of the incoming air.
This reduces the load on the air-conditioning system. Th e ERV core also transfers water vapor, helping to maintain healthy, comfortable indoor humidity levels in all seasons. One ERV, installed in the second-fl oor master bedroom closet, exhausts air from two upstairs bathrooms while supplying fresh air to the bedrooms on that level of the house. A second ERV, installed in a mechanical room located in the lower level of the home, exhausts air from the main fl oor bathroom and kitchen area, supplying fresh air to the family room.
These ERVs provide both continuous and intermittent ventilation. Continuous ventilation is required by code and is designed to maintain general air quality. Th e low rate of continuous operation off ers around-the-clock protection for the occupants from the harmful e ffects of various odors, chemicals from furnishings and cleaning products while effectively controlling moisture. Intermittent, high-speed “spot” ventilation of the bathrooms is initiated by push-button switches, operating for a preset but adjustable amount of time. Th is higher rate of ventilation helps to eliminate immediate odors and moisture from showers while the lower, continuous rate ensures that showers dry eff ectively to reduce
the potential for mold and mildew to form.
In addition to the ERVs, a range hood installed over the cook top in the kitchen provides intermittent spot ventilation during cooking. As all range hoods should, this HVI-Certi fied unit vents directly to the outside. An excellent choice for a green retrofit, the hood, which is ENERGY STAR-rated, uses less energy for both ventilation and lighting.
Attending to the home’s heating system, Doug and Kris installed a high-efficiency sealed combustion boiler, eliminating the problems associated with open combustion air supplies in mechanical rooms. An active solar domestic hot water system completed the mechanical systems for this exceptional renovation.
Building green means more than just energy conservation, as Doug and Kris know. Low-fl ush toilets and low- flow faucets and showerheads reduce water consumption for the couple. Carpeting with a high-recycled material content is in use throughout the home. Low volatile organic compound (VOC) paint, sealants and caulking help to reduce the levels of harmful contaminants in the home. Compact fluorescent bulbs installed in all fixtures produce signi ficant energy and cost savings. Even the landscape was designed to be drought-tolerant and low-maintenance.
To complete the green theme of this renovation, green energy is purchased from a local provider. Electricity is sourced from wind farms, solar systems and methane gas turbines. Though Doug and Kris pay a premium of one cent per kilowatt hour, this is a perfect choice for a green home. And the additional funding generated helps the utility provider to limit the development of coal-fi red power plants and encourage the development of alternative and renewable energy sources. It is expected that the premium will decrease as technology advances and more renewable energy sources are developed. In fact, a utility company in Texas has been able to reduce the cost of their green energy below that of energy from conventional sources.
Doug’s and Kris’s home uses less energy than 95 percent of the homes in the Madison, Wisconsin, area. Doug estimates that the ERVs alone are reducing the energy costs by up to 200 dollars per year.
Th is is not the couple’s fi rst advanced home. The featured home is the sixth new or remodeled home with which they’ve “gone green” including one of the first active solar homes in Wisconsin in 1976. Th e signi ficant energy investments they have made in each of their homes have never cost them a penny. Th e energy savings have always been much larger than the cost of the additional loan payments, resulting in positive cash fl ow from the very beginning. And to make the financial picture even more enticing, more than 100 percent of the added costs have been recovered at the time of selling.
Where to Start
Green building represents a wonderful opportunity to improve the energy and resource eff ectiveness of our homes while providing health and comfort bene fits never before possible. If you’re interested in retro fitting your own energy-guzzling home, Doug and Kris off er the following tips based on their experience:
- Look for contractors who are knowledgeable in green building practices and who are familiar with Leadership in Environment and Energy Design (LEED), the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) residential sustainability program, as well as the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR for Homes program. Check potential contractors’ references and view their past projects to ensure that their knowledge translates into e ffective green building practices.
- Always consider energy and water in any remodeling project. Installing better insulation and reducing air leakage is an inexpensive fi rst choice.
- Triple-glazed windows now cost little more than double-glazed and not only reduce energy consumption but also block outside noise much more eff ectively. Additionally, high-efficiency heating systems are readily available and reliable, and will save energy for years to come.
Perhaps most importantly, don’t forget to consider the indoor air quality. All homes need mechanical ventilation, and retro fitting homes to be green provides an excellent opportunity to integrate the most advanced energy-e fficient ventilation products available today. When selecting ventilation equipment, choose only those products which are HVI-Certifi ed. Th is helps provide the assurance that actual airflow, sound and energy performance will meet the manufacturers’ ratings when the products are properly installed and ducted. HVI has been the premier source for reliable performance data on residential ventilation products since 1955 and today lists over 2,000 products in its online Certifi ed Products Directory available at www.hvicertified.org.
The Healthy House Institute (HHI), a for-profit educational LLC, provides the information on HealthyHouseInstitute.com as a free service to the public. The intent is to disseminate accurate, verified and science-based information on creating healthy home environments.
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