A blower test helps measure air infiltration in newly constructed houses.

Going 'Green'
Energy costs prompt better buildings.

By Rebekah Daniel

Homeowners and renters can adopt many energy conservation practices for their existing homes.

It seems Sir Isaac Newton may have omitted a natural law of the universe that is becoming increasingly apparent to anyone who enjoys electricity and heat: Energy costs increase over time. Given various weather disruptions and ongoing situations in the world's oil fields, energy prices may go up 100 percent from last winter's record levels.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the cost to heat a Midwestern home with natural gas for the 2003-2004 heating season was $864, up 43 percent from 2001-2002. Natural gas is the third-largest source of electricity generation in the United States; when natural gas prices go up, so does your electric utility bill.

Short of sitting in the dark, shivering (or sweating) and eating cold, raw food, what alternatives are left to families without the financial wherewithal to absorb such increases? A lot, it turns out. Increasing the energy efficiency of both new and existing homes--and the enabling options are growing--is a topic very much on the minds of builders, homeowners and renters.

"There's a growing recognition that to build a truly affordable house... Habitat needs to provide a house that's affordable on a daily, weekly and monthly basis,"says Jennifer Langton, HFHI's environmental resources specialist. Green construction, she says, is softer not only on the environment but also on budgets. "We look at all bills, not just the mortgage," in determining partner families, she says, "and sometimes the utility bills can be quite high. Lowering the utility bills can compensate for a slightly higher mortgage." That "slightly higher mortgage" can put decent housing within reach of more people.

What is Green?

"Green building" is a phrase that has described anything from homes made from renewable mud and straw, to those using off-the-grid wells and septic systems, sustainably harvested hardwoods and appliances rated for energy efficiency. Or, as the official definition of green design from the U.S. Green Building Council puts it: "Design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and occupants in five broad areas, including sustainable site planning, safeguarding water and water efficiency, energy efficiency and renewable energy, conservation of materials and resources and indoor environmental quality."

Theoretically, any structure--be it commercial or residential, new or existing--can be green. When applied to housing, the lofty philosophical concepts of conservation and sustainability translate into mundane, practical truths: If you build a house to be energy efficient, it costs less to heat and cool. If you build it with locally available materials, it costs less to build. And when a house is well-built, especially with precautions taken against water infiltration, it lasts much longer.

The challenge is not in deciding whether to build energy-efficient houses, but in how to take advantage of existing green-building knowledge to stretch precious construction dollars as far as possible.

Options Abound

Some techniques are proven. In hot climates, light-colored roofing materials with generous eaves mitigate the sun's heat and keep living spaces cooler. In cold climates, large, south-facing windows catch the winter sun for passive (and free) heating. And though fresh air is important for good indoor air quality, energy experts have found it is much more efficient for a house to "breathe" through properly sized ventilation units than through uncaulked, drafty joints.

In any climate, adequate insulation is key. The winters in northern Illinois are long and cold enough to be a significant influence on the construction practices of Ed Leach, construction supervisor at Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity. The affiliate was initially introduced to the advantages of green building by a $250 rebate offered by its electrical supplier for homes built according to Energy Star(r) specs. Leach upped the amount of insulation in each house, upgraded the furnace and hot water heater, and got the electrical supplier to conduct a blower test on each finished house to test for air leakage. The total cost of the upgrades was only about $800, an amount the family ends up saving in utility bills within five years.

	'That's what it's all about" recognizing that by spending very little money on insulation, you can save a lot of money on energy over the life of the house.' --Earl Mason, volunteer

"We caulk every penetration for wiring or plumbing through the attic space to reduce air flow," Leach says. "You don't have to be terribly skilled to take a caulk gun and stuff it full. It's a matter of conscience to me, as a pretty environmentally sensitive person, to minimize the consumption of our natural resources. And we're trying to help the family get a start in the home they otherwise wouldn't be able to get."

Other techniques are newer but proving themselves. In 2003, East Bay Habitat for Humanity in Oakland, Cal., built four houses with a variety of green components: a 2.25-kW photovoltaic system (solar panels) on each home, cellulose insulation in the walls and ceilings of two homes, raised heel roof trusses, vinyl windows with low-e2 coating, an Energy Star(r) refrigerator, and fluorescent fixtures/lightbulbs.

"We oriented the houses to the south to maximize passive solar gain," says director of construction Dave Sylvester. "Cost was a big consideration at first, and we hired architects for the first build." Over time, however, they've found that some of the most effective green techniques--careful orientation on site, recycling construction waste--have no negative financial impact.

SIPs, or structural insulated panels, are gaining in popularity among efficiency advocates because they can provide an interior space that is very well-insulated and nearly draft-free. The panels consist of rigid foam insulation sandwiched between two layers of oriented strand board sheathing. Unlike typical wood frame construction, heat cannot be conducted along the studs because there aren't any, and the foam insulation is more resistant to air flow than fiberglass.

"It is always cheaper to buy insulation and caulk than it is to buy furnaces and fuel," says Habitat construction volunteer Earl Mason, an efficiency advocate known in Habitat circles for challenging the inertia of "the way we've always done it."

"That's what it's all about: recognizing that by spending very little money on installation you save a lot of money on energy over the life of the house. Is saving the $500 to $1,000 on insulation so we can build 51 not-so-efficient houses more important than building 50 really efficient houses?"

Ironically, one of the most important factors in achieving energy efficiency has nothing to do with construction. Regardless of how well insulated a house is, a family that insists on maintaining an indoor temperature of 75 degrees in January will have higher heating bills than necessary. Homeowner education plays a role in East Bay's building. Overall, Sylvester says, the families have been willing to make changes.

"The homeowners really love not having an electric bill," he says.

Habitat houses are being built more aesthetically diverse as well as energy efficient. See "Shelter From the Norm" and visit the Web site, www.habitat.org/hw/, click on "More Stories," then on "Drawn by Opportunity."