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New American Home Follows NAHB Green Building Model
Home builders who tour this year’s New American Home during the International Builders’ Show in Orlando will find a working version of cutting-edge green building technology, design and materials that they can apply on a more modest scale to their own product line once they get home.
The National Council of the Housing Industry's showcase home has been once again developed in partnership with Building America, the U.S. Department of Energy program that researches and certifies energy-efficient home building to provide a catalyst for the development of high-performance homes. In addition to stellar ratings from Energy Star® and the Florida Green Building Coalition, the home has a preliminary score of 400 points in the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines certification system — a gold rating.
The home uses 73% less energy for heating and cooling and 54% less for hot water than a central Florida home of comparable size, according to certification figures. This represents annual savings of $1,132, said John R. Broniek, senior building performance specialist for IBACOS, the Pittsburgh-based building science and consulting firm that provided technical assistance for this year’s home.
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The airtightness of the home was tested with a blower door. |
Additionally, the home has a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) rating of 51, putting it halfway between a rating of 100 for a typical home and zero for a zero-energy home that produces at least as much energy as it consumes.
The New American Home represents “all the products and techniques that are out there,” Broniek added. Some examples:
- Pre-cast concrete walls — a panelized building style rare for residential construction in the Orlando area — provide an insulation value of R-26, with the insulation located inside each concrete panel. “This was a concept that worked well for this house on the energy efficiency side and it allowed for fairly quick production,” Broniek said, which was especially important for The New American Home with its tight construction deadlines.
- The heating and air conditioning system is properly sized and includes three separate units, with 17.7-SEER heat pumps serving the first and second floors and a 15-SEER unit for the third floor. “That way, you get more even distribution of cooling and the units don’t short-cycle, or go for short periods of time and blow a lot of hot air, which is what happens with an oversized system,” Broniek said. In addition, all of the system's ductwork is within conditioned space.
When applied to production building, this system’s engineering can be a money-saver for both builders and home owners, according to Building America. Right-sizing the HVAC system allows greater financing options for the buyers because their utility bills will be predictably lower. Those savings can be used to purchase options and other upgrades. Further, improved building performance and occupant comfort will reduce callback and warranty problems, saving builders time and money.
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A PV system powers the refrigerator directly and excess energy is stored or used elsewhere in the home. |
- Tankless water heaters minimize piping and reduce standby heat loss. Water in the system is preheated by a solar thermal system on the roof of the house. The photovoltaic system also provides power for appliances, including the refrigerator, and the power that isn’t used can be sold back to the local electric utility.
- To meet Orlando’s pervious surface percentage requirements, the builders paved the driveway with Flexi-Pave, a brand-new product made of recycled tires. “We are usually left with using gravel or grass on the driveway, and this is a finished look,” said Mike Williams, general manager of the home's builder, Homes by Carmen Dominguez.
- The home’s stucco interior includes a product in the paint mix that mitigates pollution buildup on the house, attaching to toxins and enabling them to be washed off the building, he said.
The house also has a green roof, which is irrigated by water from a cistern that collects rainwater. It’s sited to take best advantage of natural lighting; overhangs and balconies protect the home’s interior from the hot Florida sun; and the lot has been landscaped with native plants.
Builders and others attending the International Builders’ Show can tour the home from Wednesday, Feb. 7 through Saturday, Feb. 10.
For additional information on the home, e-mail Tucker Bernard at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8519. For more information on NAHB’s green building resources, contact Calli Schmidt, x8132.
Green Building Seminars at the Builders' Show
Several seminars on all aspects of green building — from NAHB’s green building guidelines to designing green, selling green, zero energy homes, green building on a budget and more — will be held at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando.
The green building seminars begin Wednesday, Feb. 7.
For green building seminar descriptions, and to register, visit the green building track of the educational seminars on the International Builders' Show Web site, www.buildersshow.com. Use the "My Show Planner" tool to register for specific courses.
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