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“Conservation-Innovation”
That’s Energy House III!
By
Margie Church
Soaring energy prices in 2005 were a real wake-up call for
Americans. Locally, we felt the pain at the pumps and in our winter heating
bills. Additionally, the storms that rocked our area made us think about
solid, more energy efficient materials before we repaired our battered
homes.
As you look for a new home,
perhaps those issues are on your mind and you have a lot of questions. Elk
River’s Energy House III (EH 3) is the place to stop for answers on our New
Home Tour. EH 3 contains an amazing collection of
innovative building practices and materials that are available today. From
steel roof shingles to a unique home monitoring system, EH 3 shows you how
you can reduce/reuse/recycle in very exciting and practical ways.
EH 3 is
built in the Nordic Hills development on the northeast side of County Road
1. The Suburban Northwest Builder’s Association (SNBA) owns EH 3 and
Northwoods Custom Homes is its building contractor. Greg Holst, Northwoods
Custom Homes Co-Owner and President, says, “It has been a lot of work and
taken a lot of time but it has also been a lot of fun and I’ve learned a
lot.”
Holst has spent months
evaluating a myriad of options to include that will be innovative,
attractive and practical. “We recognize that an individual homeowner would
not include every one of the materials and methods we’re using in EH 3,
however our first goal is to educate homebuyers about what is out there.
We’re giving them plenty of options and information so they can make
intelligent decisions that best suit them.”
The SNBA will have its
offices in EH 3 for at least two years and then it will be sold. Holst says,
“It will always have our name on it so the house is also packed with
attractive features and plenty of curb appeal.” Holst is proud of the
overall home’s design. Northwoods’ draftsman maximized living space in what
appears from the outside to be a lovely rambler. But inside, Holst says they
gained 1,000-square feet of living space in the form of two bedrooms, a
bathroom and a huge storage room in what would typically be the attic. “We
still want people to walk in and say, ‘Wow it looks like any other house.
It’s beautiful and energy efficient’.”
Year ‘Round Efficiency: A Geo System
The installed ECONAR
geothermal heat pump (Geo) heating and cooling system in EH 3 is the key
component to achieving the most energy conservation possible. ECONAR Energy
Systems is a Minnesota manufacturing company located in Elk River and they
donated the heat pump for Energy House III.
In addition to reduced
energy operating costs, Geo is a reliable, single heating/cooling system
that also offers more comfort with less maintenance than conventional
furnace and AC systems.
Vance Zehringer, Manager
of Key Accounts and Special Projects, Elk River Municipal Utilities, is a
strategic Energy House Committee Member. He provided professional insight
and guidance about what was possible and what made sense for EH 3.
“The ground-source heat
pump makes this home’s energy costs very affordable” says Zehringer.
“Natural gas prices aren’t expected to decrease whereas electric rates are
much more stable and predictable. This system is four times more efficient
than a 95% efficient natural gas furnace!”
How does a Geo system work?
The geothermal heat pump,
which resembles a conventional furnace, is located in the home’s basement
and it is connected to the forced air ductwork. The second component, an
earth loop, is installed on the property and is made up of buried
polyethylene plastic pipes that are filled with a heat transfer fluid
(mostly water) that is circulated through them.
A Geo system moves
heat rather than creating it by burning gas. In the winter, the earth’s heat
warms the circulated fluid carried through the earth loop. The warmed fluid
is then brought into the heat pump and the heat it is extracted to warm the
home. The heat pump can provide all the heat needed to keep a home
comfortably warm throughout the winter without a backup system.
The same Geo system is
used to cool during the summer. When cooling, the heat from the home is
removed by the heat pump and transferred to the cool ground around the earth
loop via the circulated fluid inside the plastic pipes. It’s really the
ultimate solar heating system.
There are tax credit
incentives for installing Geo systems in homes and commercial buildings.
Since Geo systems are very efficient and a direct benefit to power
companies, there are utility incentives offered for installing them. Elk
River Municipal Utilities awards $800 rebates for installing a Geo system in
a home.
The “M” Word
Mold.
It is a dreaded word. From a health perspective it can be deadly or at least
very irritating to those with sensitive respiratory systems. From a
construction perspective, it means moisture and moisture eventually means
rot. The construction practices used in EH 3’s foundation and walls totally
eliminate mold.
T-MassÒ,
which is an integral foundation system, is used for the basement. T-Mass
foundation forms already contain insulation and concrete is poured in it.
T-Mass eliminates the need for an energy wall (fiberglass insulation) in the
basement and having no fiberglass in the basement severely limits the
potential for mold growth.
EH 3 also will have an
air exchanger system running on all three levels of the home. “Most builders
have air exchangers running only on the top two floors,” states Holst. “The
basement is where the humidity is, so changing this practice will further
reduce the potential for mold growth. Having the air exchange system
function on basement levels is now recognized as a very effective tool for
helping tackle mold issues and the building industry is looking at changing
the code to institute this as a standard practice.”
Home Automation System
We’ve all heard about the
benefits of using off-peak electricity and programmable thermostats. EH 3
has an automated home system from KinSáile
Technologies, Elk River. “From touch pads in the house or from any web
browser, you’ll securely log into your home’s system and from there, you
will be able to look at the performance of your systems,” explains Scott
Hagen, Vice President, KinSáile Technologies. “With the HVAC system, for
example, you can learn what the current temperature is inside and outdoors
and control your heating and cooling setbacks based on that. You can learn
historically about your house’s heating and cooling on/off cycles. These
tools help control energy use and costs.”
The home’s security system
can be programmed/accessed the same way. Staying
home to let in a repairperson will be unnecessary with this system. By
logging into a secure web browser, you can disarm your security system to
let the person in and re-arm it when they are done. Additionally, the system
monitors specific doors and windows and there are cameras in the house so
you will know if other areas of the house have been accessed and how many
times while you were away. Lighting scenarios can be programmed and accessed
too.
“The house is totally IP
(internet protocol)-based,” continues Hagen. “All the technology we use is
available on the open market today, and since it is built into the
infrastructure of the house, it’s easy to update or add new features in the
future. Anything that is IP- ready or IP-enabled can be controlled from one
user interface. This includes the intercom, phone messages, in-home music,
video content, thermostat, lighting and security systems connected to this
system. We’re all about lifestyle and making sure your home fits your
lifestyle and not the other way around.”
Under Slab Radiant Heat
Another comfy feature of EH
3 is under slab radiant heat. Electric panels are installed in the sand
below the concrete slab. They work off-peak radiating heat through the
concrete to keep floors comfortable even for bare feet. Some of these panels
also are installed in the ceilings under the sheet rock in storage areas
that will be used for displays while the Builder’s Association offices in EH
3.
And the entire driveway and
sidewalk are heated electrically to evaporate, not melt, snow and ice. A
sensor finds temperature and humidity and when it starts snowing, it turns
on automatically. This may not sound efficient but Alternative Energy
Concepts’ Greg Houle says it costs only $2/hour to run this system and, “who
can get somebody to shovel for that?” It’s also a marvelous safety feature.
Walls and Windows that Out-Perform
SIPs (structurally insulated
panels) are used on the exterior walls and roof. “I really like working with
these panels,” says Holst. “They are like two pieces of plywood sandwiched
around polystyrene foam. They are stronger than traditionally framed walls
because they are all glued and screwed together to form one piece. In a
strong storm, you’d really feel how solid a SIP house is.”
The SIPs use polystyrene
foam as insulation so there is no fiberglass in them. All the things that
cause mold in a house (fiberglass, inadequate air circulation, leaks) are
gone. In addition, Holst says the SIP's have a better R Value (insulation
value) than fiberglass does. “Typical fiberglass wall construction has an
R19 value. The SIP's are R24. You’ll be cutting your heating and cooling
bills year after year, while you breathe cleaner air indoors too.”
EH 3 has
German-engineered Shuco Windows,
which have the lowest U-value of any window that Holst researched. U-value
is a measurement of energy efficiency for glass. The Shuco windows are
triple pane and krypton gas, not argon gas, is their insulation. The windows
are vacuum-filled and -sealed so you can be sure they are 100% filled for
the best insulating value.
Cleaner Indoor Air
That new house smell is
really products degassing VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) and you’re
breathing them in. Low VOC products in flooring, paint, furniture, decking,
etc., were used in EH 3 wherever possible to help optimize air quality. EH 3
has a number of respiratory-friendly systems that
improve indoor air quality. Already mentioned are the elimination of
mold-causing materials and using an air exchange system throughout the whole
house.
A radon mitigation system
and carbon monoxide detectors are installed. Additionally, the ground source
heat pump eliminates the potential for deadly carbon monoxide from furnace
combustion.
The entire ventilation
system is sealed with paintable mastic to prevent any air leaks into or out
of the runs prior to the registers.
Energy Star
Appliances and Lights
Appliances and lights with Energy Star ratings are installed. The homebuyer
can receive rebates of $50 to $800 per electric appliance (including the
ground-source heat pump) from Elk River Municipal
Utilities. These products help homeowners save three ways. The up-front
rebates decrease the initial cost of upgrading to an energy star appliance;
the appliances continue to pay for themselves through lower operating costs
year after year; and the reduced operating costs and rebates help consumers
qualify for their mortgage.
Recycled for Beauty, Durability
Some of us still have
misconceptions about recycled products. However, many manufacturers are
using recycled products all the time and we don’t realize it. EH 3
has Marmoleum
recycled vinyl flooring and the carpet throughout the house is all made of
recycled materials. It’s beautiful, comfortable, durable, and you’ll be
impressed.
Steel shingles cover the
roof. An asphalt coating makes the roof more visually appealing and the
shingles have a 50-year warranty. The recycled steel siding complements the
exterior with matching durability.
Landscaping will be done
with plenty of composted materials for a truly “green” lawn!
Curbside Waste
It isn’t just the materials
going into EH 3 that we watched; it’s also what went out. Veit Disposal
provided the dumpsters used at the jobsite and they sorted out the materials
for recycling that the construction crews threw in. “That started us
thinking,” relates Holst. “We asked our crew to just be more aware of using
the construction materials more completely wherever they could. We began
saving short 2x4s and using them for sheet rock backers when possible and we
reused other materials we normally threw away. It wasn’t more time consuming
and even though we might not have saved a lot more materials on one house,
over the course of 100 houses, the wasted materials (and subsequent costs)
really add up. It’s a practice we want to change from here on.”
Learn More
You might be wondering how
Holst found those windows (and the other products they used), how easy are
they to get and what they cost. “We invited suppliers to sit down and tell
us about their products. Performance was the key because they are used in an
energy efficient house. Many of the suppliers gave us discounts and/or
donated services to make this many energy efficient options affordable in
one house. Suppliers recognized the impact this marketing tool can have on
their own businesses,” explains Holst. “Nevertheless we were constantly
balancing cost with value. While these products are more expensive
initially, their efficiencies and longevity, compared to their traditional
counterparts, are definitely worth looking into.”
Information about the
products that are used is presented in Energy House III. Since the SNBA has
its offices in the house, their staff is available to answer questions about
the performance of the house and tours can be arranged by calling them
(763-241-9536). The home’s automated system will tell all its secrets, too.
You can also visit
www.energyhouseonline.com any time. |
