How do you know you are going in the right direction if you don’t know where you are? Haven’t we all, on occasion, made a wrong turn in some large, unfamiliar city? We did not think we were lost, but we never got to where we wanted to be. That never happens to me now, at least not since I added to my life the technology called a GPS. If I even start to veer off course, a stern voice comes out of nowhere “recalculating” a different direction to keep me on track.
Technology has changed travel, how we communicate, methods in the medical field, and energy-saving concepts in our homes. Today we can know where we are and how to get where we want to be on the energy scale. The “high-tech” equipment used in home testing and computerized energy-simulations shows what level or shade of “green” a home is. To do better, we must know “where we are” in efficiency at the beginning.
After several years of testing homes and running analysis software, I have discovered that energy efficiency techniques frequently must take a new direction to keep getting better results. It is often small things that add up to get the results desired. As in the case of the HBA Habitat houses, the goal was all about simplicity, cost, and liveability, without sacrificing durability and efficiency. There is never time for wrong turns, guessing, or just hoping we are right. Experience tells us how to build a good house, but can we make it 30% better for the same money?
Improvement over “good” was achieved by several simple things. For example, recessed lighting (can lights) is often the lighting system of choice. Yes, they look and work great, but special infiltration sealing, caulking and ICAT fixtures are required. “Can lights” are still my favourite, but in this project they were replaced with CFL equipped ceiling fans, resulting in less installation cost, less energy, and fewer holes in the ceiling. The correct amount of lighting needed just came with the fans.
A 2010 DOE study reported 700 terawatt-hours, nearly 19% of the electricity produced, is used for lighting, half in the residential market. That is nearly 6 billion light bulbs installed in the residential sector, and few are energy stingy CFLs. If we want to be leaders in energy-efficient designs, we must do so, even in the smallest ways. Education is part of our job. Demonstrate it and then tell why. Every NAHB Green verified house is required to have a home-owner’s manual full of information on how to operate the new “green home” correctly. I include even the little things, like why to use CFL bulbs.
By the way, CFLs or LEDs result in at least one HERS point, and help in several NAHB Green Verifying categories. Not installing them is a wrong turn that will lead us away from where we need to be in the efficiency world. Let’s all get on the right route from the beginning…we definitely do not want to hear that voice out of nowhere saying, “Recalculating!”
Jim D. Baker, B & G Drafting—HERS Rater and NAHB Verifier with this project.
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In January 2011, the HBA of Greater Springfield announced it would partner with Habitat for Humanity of Springfield to build the first two homes in Habitat’s new Builders Circle development. The homes will be certified to the National Green Building Standard and their construction will serve as a demonstration of flexible and affordable methods by which construction professionals can build green in a residential setting.
Jim Baker (B&G Drafting) is a Certified Green Professional (CGP), a HERS Rater, and a certified NAHB Green Building Verifier. He also helped design these and other green-built homes throughout the area. This Builders Circle Project Blog helps keep HBA industry professionals and curious consumers up to date on the latest green building features being incorporated into the project. The blog also provides updates on the project’s latest progress and upcoming needs. Those who would like to help with the project are encouraged to leave their comments at the end of blog posts, or on the project’s facebook page, to offer your assistance.
Jim D. Baker, B and G Drafting – HERS Rater and NAHB Verifier on this project.