|
Stix &
Brix
Chuk
Bowles, Technical Director
Three-quarters of world energy consumption comes from nonrenewable “hard
energy sources”. One-third of this total is oil, 1/4 coal, and the
rest from natural gas. The other quarter of world usage is supplied from by
a mixture of nuclear power, hydropower, and biomass
fuels.
Our reliance on non-renewable, largely fossil-fuel sources is shortsighted
to say the least. Unless we make dramatic reductions in consumption
they will become scarce, expensive, and eventually depleted. The way
we consume and use energy is also environmentally dangerous and
exacerbates climate change caused by green house gases.
Since
buildings consume over 60% of all the energy in the U.S., our industry
needs to develop new building strategies to transition to a low energy
future, reliant on benign and sustainable renewable sources. There
are low cost or no cost approaches that we can influence locally, while
still retaining the appeal of our housing stock. For example, it
cost little to make the maximum use of natural energy sources---the sun,
wind and water—and to site or protect your project so that it requires a
minimum of supplemental energy. In our climate it is possible to
incorporate basic passive solar heating at virtually no additional cost
and thus reduce the size and cost of the conventional HVAC
system. How a house is oriented to the sun has a dramatic impact on
heating and cooling costs which make up the largest energy load in most
buildings.
Think about how the sun moves through the day and
through the year when you design your next project. Selective
siting, shading and construction strategies can save money on lighting,
heating and cooling bills. For example, locating the kitchen and
dining areas on the east wall makes the most of light potential early in
the day. Bedrooms with east facing windows are great for early
risers but not so great for people who like to sleep in. North rooms
have the least natural light but also have the greatest potential for heat
loss through window. This orientation is a good place for bathrooms,
utility rooms and other rooms where natural light isn’t as
important. Remember, the sun moves but a house can’t.
The
sun is a lot higher in the sky in the summer than it is the winter.
You can use overhangs and deciduous trees to block the suns heat in the
summer. In the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky and you want
the benefit of the sun’s warmth, the sun’s rays shine below the overhangs
and the leaves are gone from the trees.
Passive solar design is an
approach every green builder should have in his design strategies to move
towards a sustainable future for new generations and to remain competitive
in the next decade.
|
From the
Executive Director
KC
McGurren, Executive Director
Welcome to our first
EarthCraft Virginia
Newsletter. The intent of this publication is to
showcase single and multifamily projects and other innovative development
groups across the state. We will also keep you up to date with our Habitat
for Humanity partnership, notify you of upcoming educational
opportunities, provide technical support and feature new developments in
building science and innovative construction materials and
technologies. We hope this to be an invaluable tool whose core
mission is to enable us stay connected with one another.
Since the
introduction of the EarthCraft House Program to Virginia in 2005, the program continues to grow as
Virginia’s premiere green building
program. So many individuals have participated that we have
successfully certified over 250 single family homes and 16 multifamily
projects representing over 1100 units. Together we have made a
significant reduction in carbon emissions and environmental degradation by
re-inventing the marketplace. EarthCraft builders are building
sustainable, durable, healthier housing; elevating the level of
residential construction and setting the example for other Virginia
Builders and other states in the Southeast as well. We commend EarthCraft
members for your involvement and success.
Hopefully you will welcome
our attempt with this first issue. Feel free to offer comments or
suggestions as to how we can improve on this endeavor in future
issues.
We are here to encourage green building so please don’t
hesitate to let us know how we can be of service to
you.
Sincerely,
Showcase
Single Family Builder:
Green Valley
Builders
Jason and Justin
Boyle of Green Valley Builders, INC. are leading the charge in high
performance, green building in the New River Valley. Their latest home,
located in the all EarthCraft Mt. Tabor Meadows development in Blacksburg, Virginia, achieved the “Gold”
EarthCraft Certification, and qualified for $2000 EPAct Builder Tax
Credit.
Most homeowners
cringe when their utility bill arrives in the mail, but this is not the
case for homeowners Beth Lohman and Jerry Ford. Their utility bills
are on average 40% less than the same house built to code. Green
Valley Builders incorporated advanced framing techniques and spray-applied
insulations to reduce thermal bridging and increase insulation coverage
contributed to this reduction in energy usage. High performance
windows were installed with low U-values and Solar Heat Gain Coefficients
(SHGC) to reduce energy loss and increase homeowner comfort.
Smart HVAC design allowed the air handler and all ductwork to be located
within conditioned space – leading to a system that operated more
efficiently. Testing of the forced air distribution system
demonstrated 0% duct leakage outside the building envelope. The
couple’s hot water needs are met with an efficient Rinnai instantaneous
gas hot water heater.
Not only are Beth and Jerry enjoying reduced energy bills and increased
comfort with their new home, but they are at ease knowing that they are
living in a healthy environment. Justin and Jason insist on
providing fresh air through mechanical ventilation in all of their homes,
as well as promoting indoor air quality through the use of low-VOC paints
and urea-formaldehyde free insulations. With construction on going
in the Mt. Tabor Meadows development the Boyle brothers, and the rest of
the team at Green Valley Builders, INC. will continue to “green” the
New River
Valley with high
performance homes that are a model for energy efficient building systems,
enhanced indoor air quality, and greater homeowner
comfort.
Celebrating
20 Years
Better Housing
Coalition
As a non-profit community
development corporation, the Better Housing Coalition (BHC) takes a
holistic approach to revitalizing Greater Richmond communities and
affecting positive social change. In commitment to its mission – to
change lives and transform communities through high-quality affordable
housing – BHC continually evolves its building practices to provide
residents with maximum comfort and affordability, particularly by
incorporating today’s most innovative green building technologies.
This includes building homes to EarthCraft™ standards. The increased
energy-efficiency of BHC’s EarthCraft™ homes, along with the use of
durable building products, makes the homes more affordable to maintain and
in turn adds value to the community as a
whole.
In addition to the
health benefits of green building, residents also recognize substantially
lower energy bills. Homes built to EarthCraft™ standards are at
least fifteen percent more energy-efficiency than code-built homes and are
in compliance with guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. “Developing areas and
building homes that incorporate green building technology helps the
sustainability of communities – it uses local materials in construction,
provides more safe and healthy homes for families who live there and is
cheaper for the residents to operate so they can have a little more
spendable income,” says T.K. Somanath, President and CEO of BHC.
Although green upgrades do add to the cost of housing – about four percent
to the cost of development – the savings on sustainable products that do
not need to be replaced and on energy bills eventually offset the
expenses. “You get your investment back in a few years,” says Bob
Newman (VP, Chief Operating Officer), “and as energy costs continue to
rise the payoff continues to go up.” Through the EarthCraft™
Virginia
certification program, BHC builds housing with high energy efficiency and
lasting value.
BHC has
constructed every one of its homes to EarthCraft™ standards since 2006 –
the year it opened the doors to its 152-apartment senior community Carter
Woods. Carter Woods was constructed during EarthCraft™ Virginia’s pilot phase and was the first
EarthCraftTM certified multi-family development in Virginia.
BHC’s green developments take the concept a step past individual
housing. “The incorporation of green is not only in the building but
the way we live in the community,” says Somanath. “We can design
communities that promote public transportation. We can focus on the
orientation of buildings for solar energy gain. We can minimize our
carbon footprint and the amount of waste we are putting in our
landfills. We can also educate the people living in these
communities about how to live green.” It is a core belief of BHC
that assuming environmental responsibility today and teaching ourselves
how to use resources fairly and efficiently will not only improve our own
lives but also those of future
generations.
More of today’s
housing consumers and first-time homebuyers are looking for homes with
eco-friendly features, BHC observes. In response to the growing
demand for green, BHC is planning ways to further integrate sustainable
design into its new communities. At Lincoln Mews in North Richmond, formerly Lincoln Manor apartments,
BHC will construct a new community resource center as part of its
revitalization initiative. The community resource center will use
solar thermal water heating for laundry facilities and a cistern to allow
reuse of rainwater. Apartment renovations will also be certified
under the EarthCraftTM Multifamily Program.
|
Habitat for
Humanity
Steve
Reed, Habitat Coordinator
Habitat for Humanity organizations have long been considering cost
effective strategies for building energy efficient and higher performance
houses on a tight budget. EarthCraft has encouraged all Habitat
builders in Virginia to join our program and we are
now working with 26 independent affiliates, who have successfully
completed over 60 EarthCraft houses to date with plans for at least 55
more this year.
Every
Habitat house we certify will be owned by a low or very low income family,
so utility costs are obviously an important concern for Habitat partner
families. Since these homeowners pay their mortgage with little or
no interest, investing upfront in durability and energy efficiency makes a
lot of sense to many Habitat for Humanity builders when planning for the
long term.
DC Habitat is one
affiliate who recently became an official EarthCraft Builder, after the
dedication ceremonies for their first two EarthCraft certified homes (with
several more nearing completion). A typical DC Habitat-EarthCraft
house uses a 15 SEER heat pump with the air handler and all ductwork
located in conditioned space, higher insulation R-values than standard
with grade 1 installation, advanced framing, an extremely tight building
envelope with mechanical ventilation, among many other features which
consistently rate the performance of their affordable houses as
competitive with higher end green homes.
Vice President, Joe Biden,
working with DC Habitat for Humanity on an EarthCraft
House.
Partners
& Sponsors
If you
do not wish to receive the EarthCraft newsletter, please send an
email to [email protected]. |