Model Homes In Bourne Lead The Way To Energy Efficiency

Posted in: Bourne News
By By DIANA T. BARTH
Sep 15, 2008 - 12:10:57 PM

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By DIANA T. BARTH
As people think ahead to the cost of heating their homes during the upcoming winter, many of them are also considering how to improve energy efficiency.
Someone who wants to tour a home that has been certified as having been built to the highest standards for energy and resource efficiency need go no farther than Bourne.
The first LEED-certified model homes to be built in New England are open to the public at The Villages of Brookside, off County Road in Monument Beach.
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and while LEED techniques have been used for years in commercial buildings, fewer than 500 homes have been certified nationwide, a spokesman for developer Northland Residential Corporation said.
Three Brookside models were built, beginning last fall, and were certified this year by the Green Building Council. Seventy green homes are currently planned to follow them, Jack C. Dawley, Northland’s president and chief operating officer, said.
A tour of one of the models shows a unit with hardwood floors on the main level and marble countertops in the kitchen.
Most of the rooms in the home contain a small sign that points out the efficiencies built into that area, starting with the Energy Star appliances in the kitchen and the gas log fireplace that vents to the outdoors, minimizing the leakage of combustion gases into the living room.
The model units combine everything from dual flush toilets that allow users to control whether a large or small amount of water goes down the drain, to composite flooring on the home’s outside railings, decking, and trim in the building’s design.
The European-style toilet saves about 6,000 gallons of water a year while nearby low-flow shower fixtures save from 30 to 70 percent of normal water usage. The use of composite material on the building’s outside cuts down on both replacement costs and the amount of wood that eventually ends up in the landfill. So, too, do the algae-resistant roof shingles that top the homes. They are expected to last some 30 years.
A high-efficiency, sealed combustion natural gas furnace and an air conditioning system with the most efficient condensing equipment that now exists were installed to control the climate inside the model homes.
They are combined with a highly efficient air filtration system and ducting that limits air leakage to the outdoors.
Programmable thermostats that save on heating costs are also among the items that help make the homes “green.”
The walk-out condominiums that have a lower, finished basement level have dual zones, so that temperature in the lower level can be controlled separately from that in the upper two floors.
Blown-in green fiber insulation made with treated paper was chosen to keep heat in and cold out because it performs better than traditional fiberglass insulation. That insulation also makes use of recycled materials such as old newspapers.
Because the home is so well-insulated, carpets, adhesives, and paint that do not pollute the indoor air were incorporated into the design.
“Green” wallboard, that is both environmentally friendly and green in color, is used in areas such as bathrooms, where moisture is expected to be present. That wallboard is not covered in paper like conventional wallboard and, if wet, would not become a breeding ground for mold.
Andrea Suba of Sagamore Beach, who works in the sales office, said people often ask to take home carpet samples to see if they have finally discovered carpeting they can live with.
Mr. Dawley said the Northland team, which has always been environmentally conscious, started working on a LEED-certified project in December of 2006. At that time, he said, they began with a year of research, attending a national “green” seminar in St. Louis and investigating the requirements of LEED certification by different bodies.
Not only must such a home be energy efficient after it is built, its construction has to meet certain “green” standards as well, including the use of efficient framing techniques and environmentally friendly landscaping. The preservation of existing large trees when homes are built is encouraged, for example.
Building a LEED-certified home costs a little bit more, Mr. Dawley said, but the group thinks that, over time, the short-term savings in energy costs and long-term savings in repair and replacement costs will pay for the higher initial investment. Given the volatility of fuel prices and other variables, he did not have an estimate of how long that could take.
Building green, however, is “the right thing,” he said.