Builders put energy into efficiency

New Habitaty for Humanity home is cheap to heat

Within the next six weeks, a house being built by Habitat for Humanity on North Avenue West should be finished. The new homeowners are expected to move in before Christmas.

By ERIN STRICKLAND for the Missoulian

But before they do, a little showing off will take place.

On Wednesday, builders, subcontractors and people interested in to an open house where members of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality will demonstrate how this particular home was built to keep energy costs low.

"Missoula Habitat has been doing this for years and is good at it," said Paul Tschida, an energy education specialist for the DEQ in Helena. "It will show that the Habitat house is very well done."

The house meets Energy Star criteria, a labeling system designed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.

"The EPA uses it in homes, appliances and other products that meet standards for low-energy consumption," said Dave Chrismon, executive director of Missoula Habitat for Humanity.

Three Habitat homes in Missoula qualify as Energy Star: a finished duplex and two single-family homes that are still under construction.

Habitat has made efforts in the past five or six years to provide efficient homes in response to rising energy costs.

"We feared we would be putting a family in a home where the mortgage would be affordable, but the energy costs would not be," said Chrismon.

"There is a trend to promote energy efficiency and sustainable buildings," he added. Habitat for Humanity programs in Butte, Helena and Great Falls have all moved toward more efficient buildings.

"It does cost a little bit more, but we feel like the advantage to the families is so much greater," Chrismon said. And because the cost of building the home is passed on to the family, they also agree to make the home’s efficiency a priority.

So what is the difference between an Energy Star home and a regular one?

"It’s a better insulated home," said Tschida. "They take extra care to caulk and seal doors, windows and joints so it doesn’t let the air go through." Air leaks waste 10 to 30 percent of a home’s heating energy.

A major part of making it well insulated comes from structural insulated panels, or 5fi inches of polystyrene foam sandwiched between particleboard. The panels still require siding and sheetrock, but they are a significantly better insulator than wood alone.

The home also features an Energy Star natural gas furnace and windows, as well as a heat recovery ventilation system.

"It’s a box with two fans," said Tschida. One fan draws heated air from the bathroom and the kitchen, and the other draws cold air from outside. As it pulls the fresh air in, it exchanges cold air for warm air, saving 75 percent of the heat energy.

When comparing two similar duplex buildings, one built to Energy Star criteria, Habitat found that over a 15-month period, the Energy Star duplex saved $670 in energy costs. That’s $335 per family, a savings that will add up over the years.

At the open house, representatives from the DEQ will discuss these features, and with the help of an infrared camera, show where air leakage happens.

Space is limited. There will be two sessions Wednesday, the first from 3 to 5 p.m., the second from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Call (406) 444-6697 to register.

http://missoulian.com/articles/2003/11/02/news/local/news03.txt