Habitat For Humanity Goes Green!
(Page 2 of 6)
April/May 2003
By Dan Chiras
Other affiliates also are leading the way in energy-efficient design and demonstrating the many benefits of common-sense building practices. In the fir northern reaches of Michigan—an area averaging 240 inches of snow a year—Copper Country's habitat for Humanity (HFH) affiliate is building passivesolar homes. Northern Michigan is cold and cloudy much of the winter, but the sun off ers enough warmth to make a significant dent in annual heating bills.
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Taking advantage of solar energy and a long list of energy-efficiency measures, HFH Copper Country builds single-story, woodframe homes with 1,056 square feet of living space for just $35 to $39 per square foot. with winter heating bills of just $30 per month. Since 1999, all of the homes have been built with a southern orientation, to capture maximum solar gain. Backup heat is provided by energy-efficient baseboard hot water systems. Two-by-six-inch-thick walls create a spacious cavity, which is packed with high-density fiberglass insulation. Rigid foam board insulation is tacked onto the exterior sheathing, fortifying the thermal shield.
Roofs are insulated to R-60, far exceeding local building code requirements. Airtight drywall construction, a technique that produces nearly leak-proof walls, is used to prevent costly and uncomfortable drafts. The houses rest on frost-protected shallow foundations an innovative design that significantly reduces energy losses by using vertical and horizontal insulation to trap heat in the ground around a home. Copper Country also installs energy-efficient appliances and compact fluorescent lightbulbs to reduce electrical use, and low-flow showerheads to reduce water consumption.
"Energy efficiency and passive-solar heating save homeowners huge amounts each year in reduced utility bills," says Emily Dekker-Fiala, office coordinator for the group. "Many of our homeowners came from poorly built, drafty, energy-inefficient rental homes—houses built for copper miners at the turn of the century. These homes often cost $200 to $300 a month to heat. In our energy-efficient homes, heating bills run from $20 to $30 per month." What people need to realize, she says, is that an important aspect of affordable housing is not just the initial cost of the house, but making sure that people can afford to continue living in it.
In Colorado, HFH of Metro Denver also builds homes that incorporate passive-solar heating. Large, south-facing windows allow the low-angled winter sun to warm the interiors. Energy-efficient windows and wellinsulated walls, floors and foundations retain the solar warmth, reducing demand for auxiliary heating. Because the houses are wellinsulated and solar-heated, the furnaces can be downsized substantially. Energy-efficient models are standard. Programmable thermostats regulate backup heating and cooling systems, reducing demand when the house is unoccupied or residents are asleep. Insulation that keeps the houses warm in the winter also helps to maintain a cool interior in Denver's dry, hot summers. Plus, 2-foot-wide overhangs block the high-angled summer sun and provide shade for walls and windows.
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