Successful Green Building Stories

Mark Galey and Kirk Lyman Barner

Two examples

• The first non-profit to receive EarthCraft certification for a rehab in the US was completed by volunteers from the Greater Atlanta FCH

• A gold rated duplex built by Americus-Sumter FCH certified by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center Green Building program

www.earthcraft.orgEstablished in 1999 by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Southface, EarthCraft is a green building certification program that serves Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina.

To date, more than 13,000 EarthCraft homes, multifamily units and commercial buildings have been certified.

Homes, businesses and communities certified through the EarthCraft program must meet a number of criteria that ensure sustainable, efficient design and function. Areas of focus include:

Indoor air quality Energy efficiency Water efficiency Resource-efficient design Resource-efficient building materials Waste management Site planning

This existing house needed some repairs!

House Dedication and Celebration with Aarons who donated Energy Star appliances.

The Elizabeth Street Duplex - Americus

Our local construction committee designed the home based on Chuck Davis’s needs and monthly

disability income (~$850/month)

Permaculture Strategies

The SIPS Manufacturer Provided Engineer Drawings from the Floor Plans we Provided

Features

• Structural Insulated Wall Panels (SIPS) used for walls and ceiling which cost about $3,500 more for the duplex over traditional framing

• In line on demand gas hot water heater

• Stained concrete floors – no carpeting

• Cathedral ceiling allowed for HVAC ductwork to be inside the condition space

• Permaculture designing for exterior

Blower Door Testing

The factual evidence

$49.42 average per month

The average bill for other Georgia Power residential

customers during that same period was $113.96 per month,

57 percent more than the Harris' bill.

For a 30 year savings of $23,234.40

and this was duplex so we saved both households over $46,000!

Dick Edwards, Independent Energy Rater

“This is a great success story,” Edwards said. “What is remarkable is this last year was a very hot summer, and the outstanding tightness of the house combined with the outstanding thermal insulation of the SIP panels did not show a spike in cooling costs. Based on the initial REM/Rate software analysis, the energy costs are 20 percent less than originally calculated.”

Lessons Learned

New Construction

• Keep plans for new construction small – keep to the minimum square footage

• Consider the long-term ethics of each major purchase decision (20 year shingles, 20 year or a reflective metal roof)

• Calculate cost of wall and roof systems available (SIPS vs. 2x4 vs. 2x6)

• Be mindful of material size units to keep waste to a minimum

• Consult with a third party certification program to obtain building decision checklists

• Consider orientation and minimize windows on east and west side

• If at all possible keep heat and cooling ductwork within the building envelope

• Keep the distance between the hot water heaters and the appliances at a minimum

• If possible eliminate floor finishes (stained concrete is one option)

• Consult with local utility companies for rebates and discounts on any Energy Star rated appliances or HVAC systems

• Caulk is cheap – seal every penetration, the bottoms and tops of the walls

• Plan for moisture abatement – house wrap and make sure no water gets trapped behind window and door trim

Renovations

• Affordable and Green both need to both be considered

• Is the house too big for the homeowner to afford to heat and cool?

• Create an air-sealing check list and meet the recommended insulation requirements for the region

• Storm windows are often a wise and more affordable solution instead of replacement windows (due to cost saving, lead and asbestos issues)

• Blower door tests can measure the effectiveness of air sealing and can be used by an energy rater to predict utility bills

http://www.southface.org/default-interior/Documents/airsealingkeypoints.pdf

A final thought…..

• Construction waste recycling is the separation and recycling of recoverable waste materials generated during construction and remodeling. Packaging, new material scraps and old materials and debris all constitute potentially recoverable materials. In renovation, appliances, masonry materials, doors and windows are recyclable.

• 8,000 lbs of waste are typically thrown into the landfill during the construction of a 2,000 square foot home.

• The most important step for recycling of construction waste is on-site separation.

Look closely at the fish scale gables…..

Thad made them out of scraps of cement board siding…. But we didn’t have enough for both houses so we went to New Horizon’s Habitat for Humanity and asked for their left over trash pieces!

Questions?

www.nahbgreen.orgwww.earthcraft.orgwww.southface.org