affordable green homes

Postgreen of Philadelphia has contracted ZeroEnergy Design of Boston to perform energy consulting on the 100K House project in order to design the most energy efficient home possible on a small budget of $100,000 in the Delaware Valley region of the US. Postgreen and ZeroEnergy Design are determined to create an urban infill home that uses only 53% of the energy consumed by a standard new home while using a substantially smaller construction budget than is typical in the area. The combined effort is part of a case study - The 100K House - being built by Postgreen in an effort to prove that quality, green homes can be built for the same or even less cost than traditional homes. Postgreen is working on a construction budget of only $100,000 USD to build the infill home in Philadelphia with the goal of achieving high energy performance and a LEED Platinum rating. The average US home of the same size will consume 2.5 times as much energy as the 100k house. "In order to accomplish the lofty energy goals for the home on our budget, more time and care must be taken during the planning and design phase of every aspect of the home from insulation to HVAC equipment," states Chad Ludeman, President of Postgreen. "ZeroEnergy Design is the perfect company to ensure that we will get the most bang for our buck in terms of energy efficiency on the 100K House and we are excited to have them be part of the project," continued Chad. ZeroEnergy Design focused on cost effective passive aspects of the house first, looking for additional ways to conserve energy. Then the active systems that consume energy were analyzed for efficiency, including heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water, appliances, and lighting. And finally, renewable energy systems were considered with solar thermal being the top contender. Each improvement was reviewed on a cost versus benefit basis, considering the incremental change upon the home’s annual utility bills and Postgreen’s strict construction budget. “Knowing that 38 of the 136 possible points for the highest LEED certification score are energy related, any performance improvements we can make will not only be good for the LEED rating, but also good for the environment and the homeowner’s utility bills,” said Jordan Goldman, Principal Engineer of ZeroEnergy Design.

About Postgreen: Postgreen is a real estate development company focusing on modern, green and affordable buildings and homes in Philadelphia's urban neighborhoods. Our success is measured using a triple-bottom-line approach that ensures that each project benefits not only the bottom line, but the people in our community and the planet as a whole. Find out more at http://www.postgreen.com

About ZeroEnergy Design: ZeroEnergy Design is a professional services firm providing Custom Home Design and Energy Design services for residential new construction. The unique collaboration between in-house architectural designers, mechanical engineers, and financial analysts drives a competitive advantage and enables the firm to deliver fully integrated design for high performance homes. (ZeroEnergy Design was formerly known as Independence Energy Homes). Find out more at http://www.ZeroEnergy.com

In my green building business, my mission is affordable housing. As you (and I) make decisions on what kind of foundation, systems, and other considerations for the construction of your home, I always look at the financial figures and think, "Where can I save money?" When I started this quest, often those"great" cost-saving steps instead cost me money.

• Remember when I bought those great windows at Habitat for Humanity's Restore and Craigslist? Great cause, great idea, recycling and all, cost $600, now I can't use them for my modern house kit. (Note to all: I will reuse them, somehow, maybe in a future barn. But in the meantime, they collect dust in the garage...)
• Remember when I spent five thousand dollars on shop drawings for another type of house framing where I would then have to insulate and pay for the labor to do so... and then I discovered SIPs (structural insulated panels- strong, incredibly insulated panels) for the same price quote? Ouch.

Oh well, that was before I founded Green Modern Kits.com so someone else wouldn't have to make those mistakes! ; )

So whenever I find great resources I will add them to my "resource" tab on the site, and whenever I find great tips I will add them to my green building blog under "money saving tips".

And here is my latest money saving tip:

Windows and Doors:

If you have time, know that your local Home Depot/Lowes, etc. have regular sales.

Wait for one. Even better, strike up a conversation with the guy with whom you'll be placing your order and ask him to help keep you informed on special deals.

Our prefab kits come with a window and door schedule. I took that schedule to my local XYZ Hardware Store to get the original price quote for my budget, which ended up being around $9,000.

Well, guess what? Next week my local store is having a 15% off sale.

15% off of $9,000 is... appreciated! You can then ask them to take it a step further: Ask them to send the bid to the buying headquarters. They then go to the manufacturer who will often take off another 5 to 12 PERCENT! Woo!

Hope that helps someone else in a similar situation in this internet ether.

Keep your fingers crossed as I wait for the final price!

(Which will then be posted in my "final costs" post)

Driven by rising energy costs and environmental concern, a trend is taking shape in cities and neighborhoods across the country. According to the National Association of Home Builders, green building increased 20 percent in 2005. And this past fall, the US Green Building Council added a certification program for green homes.

Global Green USA’s new book, Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing, tells builders, architects, developers and affordable housing managers how they can reduce their utility bills and energy costs. The book describes best practices for green building, tips and tricks of the trade for building greener, cost-saving buildings on small budgets.

Utility bills and housing costs are becoming major drains on the average family’s income. One in seven families pays more than half its income for housing, according a June 2007 survey by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

“Rising energy costs are a huge drag on family budgets and on the economy as a whole,” said Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy at a Senate hearing on fuel assistance this week.

Transforming a residence to a more energy-saving, green home does not necessarily require an entire facelift. Upgrades in insulation, plumbing, energy-saving appliances, and flooring and roofing materials can make utilities bill shrink, and create more comfortable, healthier homes.

Tips from Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing include:

1. Install ENERGY STAR or pin-type fluorescent lighting and ENERGY STAR appliances

2. Design for natural ventilation and passive heating and cooling

3. Design for natural daylight

4. Use trees to shade elevations facing the east or west

5. Install light-colored or green roofs

6. Seal all plumbing and electrical penetrations

7. Install a timer delay or humidistat on the bathroom fan

8. Use low-water plumbing fixtures

9. Use recycled-content insulation, carpet, and drywall

10. Install a carbon monoxide detector

“Global Green USA aims to make green design affordable and accessible to everyone,” said environmentalist and Oberlin College Professor, David W. Orr.

Global Green USA, a national environmental organization has helped developers plan and build over 600 healthy, environmentally-conscious housing units. Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing explores a wide range of case studies colorfully describing the unique features of developments in cities like Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; and Chicago, Illinois, considering each of the projects’ financing and green building strategies. Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing is published by IslandPress and is available on their website.

Check back soon: BuildingGreen TV will feature a series of excerpts from these case studies here in the coming weeks.

Okay, more proud talk about Maine. We have a green affordable housing project going on here too, and it’s BIG. Build it Green (BIG) is a Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland initiative to create the first LEED-H certified affordable residential model home in New England. The area’s most gifted architects, interior designers, builders and volunteers got together in an inspired charrette to design a place with a small footprint, a smart look, and the ability to stand up to harsh maritime winters. They are going for certification in the areas of energy and water efficiencies, responsible site design, recycled materials and durable construction. Pretty impressive for low cost housing (see rendering below). With a little luck and a lot of hard work, H4H of Greater Portland hopes to set a new standard for eco-responsible home construction in the Northeast. Fundraising for the project is also innovative. The idea is to sell the first completed model to the highest bidder in order to raise awareness and enough money to pay for three more homes just like it to house some of the area’s neediest families. Groundbreaking on the four-house lot is set for October 11. Business and personal sponsorship opportunities still exist for those who want to support this fabulous plan. Plenty of folks have donated their time, services and building materials. The group now needs cash. Anyone with a handy checkbook can call or write to Dan Wallace at Habitat.