Public will get glimpse of green building techniques in home under construction

How to make your home 'green' by Christine Metz

Typically, open houses are held after the homes are built. But that isn’t the case with Tenants to Homeowners.

Leaders of the non-profit organization is inviting people to take a look at their latest project before the dry wall goes up so folks can better see the green building techniques being used.

The open house will be held June 24 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 2123 Rhode Island. Along with a tour of the home, the event will have representatives from Take Charge Challenge, Westar and other businesses to share information on how homeowners can save energy.

Of particular interest is the staggered framing design of being used to construct the two-bedroom home.

At the home’s corners and along the windows are 2 inch by 6 inch studs. Staggered in between are 2 inch by 4 inch studs. The different sized lumber allows for insulation to be woven through the wall.

“It eliminates thermal bridging, which can be caused by the two faces of the studs being able to touch both the conditioned and exterior space,” Tenants to Homeowner’s general contractor Jeremi Lewis said.

While the organization’s primary goal is to provide affordable housing, a secondary aim is to build the home as energy efficient as possible so the eventual home owners won’t be faced with mountainous utility bills.

It’s a philosophy that means the home has standard cabinetry and won’t have granite counter tops, but it will have added features to make the home more energy efficient.

“We are trying to get the biggest bang for the buck,” Lewis said.

Here are some of the other steps that Lewis is taking to build an energy-efficient home:

Insulation was put around the edge and underneath the slab foundation, which makes for warmer floors and keeps heat inside the home.
An air source heat pump, which draws temperatures from the outside to either warm or cool the house, is being used. The home also will use an air source heat pump for the hot water heater, which can reduce costs by about 50 percent.
Along the home’s south facing wall is a row of high grade quality windows and a sky light, which are positioned to capture heat during the winter months.
The exterior walls and attic space will have 3 and half inches of open cell foam insulation. In the attic, the insulation will be blown in through the roofs rafters and go over the duct work to better seal the ducts. On top of that, cellulose insulation will be blown in to the attic, which will bring the insulation rating factor up to R40.

Building a new energy efficient home for Tenants to Homeowners at 2123 Rhode Island, are from left, Merl Anderson, Carl Paslay, and Roy Paslay. The group frame in a skylight that will take advantage of southern exposure. by Richard Gwin

Event Details

On June 24, Tenants to Homeowners is partnering with Take Charge Challenge to host an open house of a green home under construction. The event will take place from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 2123 Rhode Island St.

Along with a tour of the home, the open house will have representatives from Take Charge Challenge, Westar, JSL Architects and Airtight Audits to share information on other energy saving steps homeowners can take.

Tagged: Tenants to homeowners, green building techniques, insulation