Energy efficiency a selling point with new homes
Courier-Journal
July 12, 2008
Energy efficiency a selling point with new homes
Conserving fuel goes beyond pump
By Alex Davis
alexdavis@courier-journal.com
The homes built by Abe Gilbert in eastern Jefferson County don't look much different from their neighbors.
His tricks for reducing heating and cooling bills to as little as $30 a month are tucked between layers of brick and drywall.
Gilbert, co-owner of Urbane Homes, squeezes in more insulation by using 2-by-6 studs instead of traditional 2-by-4 framing. The walls are then wrapped with inch-thick foam, and the ductwork is hidden in the first-floor ceiling instead of the attic, where air conditioning can be overcome by heat, or in the cool basement, where heat can be lost in the winter.
Standing in one of his homes in the Meadows of the Polo Fields subdivision off Shelbyville Road, Gilbert said his houses use 40 percent less lumber, partly because reinforced insulation panels are used instead of plywood sheathing.
Energy efficiency is one of the latest trends among builders to attract buyers. By meeting certain efficiency standards, the homes qualify for the federal government's Energy Star rating or a variety of other state and national labels.
"People lump $4 gasoline into the equation, and they want to save money, especially on new suburban homes with long commutes," said Bob Weiss, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Kentucky.
At the annual Homearama showcase of new homes, which runs today through July 27 at the Locust Creek subdivision in eastern Jefferson County, four of the 11 properties carry the Energy Star designation, meaning they typically use 20 percent to 30 percent less energy than other new homes.
Homearama is organized by the Home Builders Association of Louisville, and Gail Schell, the group's vice president of events and operations, said conservation is becoming so popular that all the homes in next year's Homearama could wind up carrying the Energy Star label.
"That's what the customers want, so you build it and they will come," Schell said.
Renotta Henson, who built one of this year's Homearama entries, has participated in the Energy Star program for five years. The extra steps for the certification cost as little as $3,000 per house, she said, and the homes are more comfortable because they aren't as drafty.
Another Homearama builder, Richard Miles, the owner of Dogwood Homes, builds up to 200 homes in the area each year. In January, he started building every new property to Energy Star specifications. Some of his techniques:
Caulking between adjoining studs to keep heat from escaping.
Installing windows with a U-factor of no more than 0.40 to reduce heat loss. U-factor ratings generally fall between .20 and 1.20. The lower the number the better.
Putting insulation in walls with an R-Value of at least 15, in addition to Tyvek house wrap. The R-Value measures resistance to heat flow. The higher the number the better.
A heating system that uses an electric heat pump in mild weather, but switches to a high-efficiency gas furnace when the temperature drops below 30 degrees. It cuts the heating and cooling bills on a 5,200-square-foot house to about $100 per month.
The Homearama entry built by Miles already has a sales contract. Scott Riley, a dentist from Fern Creek, and his wife expect to close on the property late this month and move in soon after. Riley said his current home has 3,800 square feet and is fairly energy-efficient because it was built with 2-by-6 framing.
His new house in the Locust Creek subdivision has about 37 percent more space, but Riley expects his heating and cooling bills will be lower overall.
Miles started seeing more interest in energy efficiency two years ago, when regional natural gas prices spiked by more than 50 percent, partly due to hurricane damage on the Gulf Coast. More recently, Louisville Gas & Electric Co. announced plans to seek a natural gas rate hike that would amount to a 10.7 percent monthly increase for a typical residential customer.
In a difficult housing market, it's even more important to build homes with the features buyers want. For the first six months of the year, 598 residential building permits were issued in Jefferson County, down 49 percent from a year earlier.
For the first five months of 2008, members of the Greater Louisville Association of Realtors sold 19 percent fewer homes than a year earlier. The median price was down 2.2 percent.
Buying an energy-efficient home can be confusing, with multiple programs offering ratings and certificates. The U.S. Green Building Council offers a certification, and the Energy Star program says on its Web site that there are nearly 50 regional and national green-home labeling programs.
The state Home Builders Association this spring started its own program, Green Build Kentucky, but the first homes won't be certified until next month or September. Weiss said he hopes 300 to 400 homes a year will soon be certified.
At Urbane Homes, Gilbert and his partner Zane Underwood spent a year researching the best ways to build energy-efficient homes, from foundations to framing to ductwork. They hope to finish their first 10 homes by the end of this year, including one in Middletown with nearly 2,200 square feet of space and a projected $30 monthly bill for heating and cooling.
Underwood said the typical buyer is willing to spend up to 4 percent extra for energy-saving features, but through cost-saving strategies such as using less lumber, he said Urbane Homes is aiming to sell homes at lower prices than a similar house built with traditional construction techniques.
Reporter Alex Davis can be reached at (502) 582-4644.
