Builder opens green home to public

Recommend

Comment

Email this article

Print this article

Get news alerts

RSS Feeds

Share Digg Mixx Linked In Facebook Twitter Delicious

The rising cost of home energy and construction has made “green” home building technology a hot topic on television and in newspaper and magazine articles across the country. “Green” technology focuses on the use of renewable energy sources and building materials.

Jerry Rosengarten, a Southampton Village developer and resident, decided two years ago that energy costs would become a growing issue in the years ahead. He decided to build a prototype home that would incorporate renewable energy systems with the goal of complete energy self-sufficiency.

He has built a 5,000-square-foot Tuscan-style home in Southampton Village that looks like a conventional home in every way, except for the solar panels on the roof. Beneath the surface, the home boasts an array of renewable energy sources and building materials.

Mr. Rosengarten opened his home to the public one Saturday in October, with the hope of encouraging home buyers to pursue green technology principles when building or purchasing a home. He wanted to show the public that it is possible to have all the most popular amenities, and more, and still have a home that is energy efficient and that recycles existing building materials in its construction.

Electricity for the home is generated by photovoltaic panels on the roof. Domestic hot water is generated by a heat pump, which uses ground water pumped from a well to generate hot water and heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Depending on the season, heat or cold is extracted from the water by a heat exchanger and then the water is returned to the ground. Heated water for the pool is provided by

solar collectors on the roof.

The heat pump boasts energy efficiencies up to 60 percent higher than conventional heating and cooling systems. Mr. Rosengarten estimates that expenses for energy use, heating and cooling for a house of comparable size would normally run between $500 and $600 per month.

All the walls of the house use a wall system comprised of steel framing and polystyrene insulation that provides higher insulating values, and zero air penetration windows allow less air infiltration than conventional construction.

Heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) exhaust stale air from the home and bring in fresh air from outside through a heat exchanger, without a noticeable change in interior temperature. Sensors on the first and second floors of the house allow adjustment in temperature of the radiant heat floors in individual rooms.

The simulated slate roof shingles are made of recycled plastic and have a 50-year guarantee.

All paint and stain finishes in the home are water-based to help eliminate the release of harmful gases into the air in the home.

Most of the flooring on the main floor is 50-year-old recycled barn wood. Other wood flooring is easily renewable bamboo, and the floor in the home gym uses recycled rubber.

Two-stage, separate-flush toilets and a drip irrigation system in the garden conserve water. An induction-style cooktop in the kitchen uses magnetic waves to cook and can boil water in 90 seconds. Energy Star rated appliances, an abundance of natural light and low-voltage lighting fixtures reduce electricity use.

A ventless fireplace fueled by ethanol will generate no residue heat at a cost of $2 a night.

Mr. Rosengarten estimates construction costs of a house of this design to be 20 to 30 percent more than conventional construction. He expects the higher costs to diminish as demand for green construction and products becomes more common.

Although Mr. Rosengarten’s prototype shows green construction principles can be incorporated into a large home with luxury appointments, he feels all home construction will incorporate these principles in the future. “The building standard will be green in the future” he said.