Mixing Green with Technology

EarthCraft/TecHome Showcase home will feature the latest green building techniques with A/V and lighting control during the Southern Building Show/TBX in Atlanta, June 20-23.

Who says green building and home technology don't mix? Indeed, they do. The evidence of just how copasetic these two hot building trends are will be seen at the EarthCraft/TecHome Showcase during the Southern Building Show (SBS)/TecHome Builder Expo (TBX) in Atlanta from June 20-23. The EarthCraft House program is constructing a 4,300-square-foot Tudor-style home in the Morningside area of Atlanta that will be open to attendees of the show, which will take place at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

From a technology standpoint, it will feature multiroom audio, lighting control, intercoms, structured wiring, surround-sound audio/video, and whole-house control. From a green building standpoint, the home will feature a tankless water heater, whole-house foam-spray insulation, high-density doors and windows, and advanced framing techniques. Other green techniques under consideration include recycling the structural and finish materials of the house to be removed, installing high-efficiency dual fuel or geothermal HVAC systems, utilizing rainwater reclamation, and constructing a vegetated roof.

This new home is an infill project, replacing an existing pre-war house. The house was designed to fit contextually with the existing housing stock while providing the amenities that today's homeowners demand. The entire project will adhere to the principles of green building and the EarthCraft House program, including energy efficiency, indoor air quality, sustainable material use and durable construction methods.

The house is being built by Southface, an organization that for 27 years has worked to teach homeowners, homebuilders and commercial design and construction professionals ways to save energy and water and preserve the environment. The builder on this project is a renowned custom builder in the area: Carl Seville of Seville Consulting. Seville received the 2005 Green Building Advocate of the Year, and the 2004 and 2006 National Green Building Awards from the National Association of Home Builders.

"Green building techniques and home technology have an opportunity to fit together like never before in homebuilding," says Seville. "Today's control systems for HVAC equipment can tie together with all the low-voltage electronics for timers, security and more."

Southface and the Greater Atlanta HBA, with support from government agencies, manufacturing and private industry stakeholders and nonprofit groups, have put together the EarthCraft display home to serve as a blueprint for healthy, comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment.

To date, more than 2,000 EarthCraft homes have been certified. This success inspired the development of our renovation, multifamily and community program guidelines. Affordable housing developers have come on board, seeing great benefits in providing homes that are affordable to buy, durable and inexpensive to operate. Other supporters of recent initiatives for environmentally responsible housing are the Enterprise Foundation and The Home Depot Foundation.

TecHome Builder and Green Builder Magazine are the primary media sponsors of the EarthCraft house. The three technology sponsors are:

• OnQ/Legrand—structured wiring, multiroom audio distribution, intercom and speakers.
• Powerline Control Systems (PCS)—lighting control.
• Superna—whole-house automation, media control.

The technology installation is being done by Integrated Excellence, an Atlanta-area integrator. The construction of the home can be tracked online at www.southernbuildingshowcase.com.

What Makes an EarthCraft House?

Below are some of the construction techniques that will be highlighted by the EarthCraft/TecHome Showcase house at the Southern Building Show/TecHome Builder Expo in Atlanta. Once the home in Atlanta is completed, it will be judged according to how well it meets the minimum requirements needed in order to be dubbed an EarthCraft House.

Site Planning

• Erosion control site plan.
• Mill cleared logs.
• Tree preservation plan; protected tree save area (minimum 25 percent of development or lot).
• Tree planting (minimum 12 trees/acre of developed land; minimum 2-inch caliper).

Air-Sealing Measures

• Chases sealed and insulated.
• Attic kneewall has sealed exterior sheathing.
• Bottom plate sealed to floor or foundation.
• Gaps in exterior wall sheathing sealed.
• Shower and tub drains sealed.
• Attic kneewall door and scuttle holes weather-stripped.
• Penetrations through drywall in attached garage sealed.
• Pass blower door test.

Insulation

• Conditioned basement walls R5.
• Attic kneewall doors R19.
• Attic kneewall doors R8.
• Attic pull-down/scuttle hole R19.

Windows

• Windows NFRC certified with label and U-factor less than 0.40.
• Window, skylight and glass door SHGC of less than 0.35.

Heating and Cooling Equipment

• Manual J calculation for sizing heating & cooling equipment.
• Ductwork and air leakage test.
• Air handlers and duct systems sealed with mastic or mastic tape
• No ducts in exterior walls or vaulted ceilings.
• Pass duct leakage test.

Energy-Efficient Lighting/Appliances

• Energy Star dishwasher.
• Indoor florescent fixtures (minimum 200 watts).

Resource-Efficient Design

• Floor joists at 19.2-inch centers (all floors).
• Two-stud corners with drywall clips or alternative framing.
• T-walls with drywall clips or alternative framing.

Resource-Efficient Building Materials

• Insulation (minimum 25 percent recycled content).
• Engineered roof framing.
• Roofing (minimum 30-year warranty).
• Walls covered with builder paper or housewrap (drainage plane).
• Back-prime siding & trim.
• Window and door pan and sill flashing integrated with drainage plane.
• Window and door head flashing integrated with drainage plane.
• Roof gutters discharge water 5 inches away from foundation.

Waste Management

• On-site grinding of wood and drywall waste.
• Central cutting are for framing.

Indoor Air Quality

• Combustion water heater isolated from conditioned space.
• Gravel bed beneath slab (above gravel) and in crawl space.
• Bathroom exhaust fans ducted to outside.
• Passive radon/soil gas vent system.
• 2-inch pleated filter or thicker.

Water—Indoor

• High-efficiency water heater.
• Tankless water heater.

Water—Outdoor

• Drought-tolerant landscaping.
• Efficient irrigation system with controls.

Homebuyer Education

• Review energy operations with buyer.
• Environmental features checklist for walk-through.

Builder Operations

• Environmental checklist provided to subcontractors.
• Certified Professional Home Builder certificate.

Bonus Points

• Location convenient to mass transit.
• Exceeds Energy Star new home standards.

EarthCraft House Totals

• Certification requires 150 points, with half the points derived from energy efficiency, including satisfactory test results. THB