“Idea Home” Incorporates Best Practices for 40%-50% Whole House Energy-Saving

This pilot home is located in Green Street Properties’ Glenwood Park community on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia. Glenwood Park is an award-winning example of Green Street Properties’ commitment to diverse, walkable, mixed-use, urban communities that employ environmentally sound practices in the design, construction, and operation of the buildings.

The 3,200 square foot, three-story home is among the first Building America projects built in partnership with Southface Energy Institute’s and the Greater Atlanta Home Builder's Association’s highest green builder program, the EarthCraft House™ program. This partnership is leading to the creation of an advanced tier of the EarthCraft House™ program that will achieve 40% whole-house energy savings or greater compared to the Building America Benchmark.

With the assistance of IBACOS, Green Street Properties surpassed the 40% energy savings goal by employing a variety of best practices in constructing the home. The building enclosure performance was improved by including an unvented, conditioned crawl space and attic, and a continuous interior air barrier (drywall) aided by polyicynene spray. The high performance HVAC system minimizes ductwork through the use of a central return system while the air handler is located in the attic, a conditioned space, to improve performance and comfort. The home also includes energy efficient lighting and appliances, but perhaps the most innovative energy saving measure is the use of a 1.5kW photovoltaic system located on the garage roof loft. It provides an estimated annual 2,148 kWh of renewable energy.

Upon its completion, IBACOS calculated a 50% savings for the home when its photovoltaic system is in use compared to the Building America Benchmark. The photovoltaic system is just one of the many high performance features on display in the pilot home, which will be open to the public for tours June 18th through October 2nd.

In addition, the house was featured in the August 2005 issue of Southern Living Magazine (2.6 million circulation) as an “Idea Home,” where its energy efficient and renewable technologies were showcased to an estimated audience of 30,000 homeowners and industry professionals throughout the Southern United States .

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