A Journey to Passive House & LEED – Homeowner's tale – Free Webinar

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A virtual tour of high performance green building practices through the design and construction of Sam Pobst’s new registered LEED on track for Platinum Home as compared to the German Passive House Standards.

The challenges of building a Passive House in America and conflicting design priorities make the Passive House standards difficult, but not impossible to meet.  This presentation will discuss the choices made in the design of this home that fell just short of meeting the PH standards.

Find out why you might want to go the extra mile. 

Presenter 

Sam Pobst BO+M, BD+C, and ID+C, LEED Faculty is the founder of Eco Metrics LLC, a national coalition of green building consultants with expertise in diverse areas of green building specialties, collaborating to advance sustainable building practices.

 Sam has a degree in Construction Management from Michigan State University, with 40 years of experience in the commercial construction industry.  He was a founding member of the US Green Building Council West Michigan Chapter, serving two terms as Chair, and is Past Chair of the USGBC Heartland Regional Council.  He is a licensed contractor in the State of Michigan.

Sam has consulted on over 25 LEED projects, and has just completed construction on his own registered LEED®  home.  For more information visit http://www.ecometrics.biz/index.htm

Michigan LEED Gold Home for Sale featuring $87.38/month utility bills.

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This home designed by the architect Eric Hughes, Image Design is located east of Kingsley Michigan approximately 20 minutes from central Traverse City. Built in 2009 this home was the Renewable Energy Tour Home for the 2009 Michigan Energy Fair and was awarded the 2009/10 Insulating Concrete Form Association National Gold Award for Small Residential Construction. This home is located on a quiet dirt road with easy access to M113, Traverse City, and Cadillac. State forest and public lands are within easy walking distance. Countryside views abound and it doesn’t get much quieter. In addition to a LEED Gold rating the home received a 5+ Energy Star certification and a HERS score of 48. The links below provide detailed information on the energy saving features of the home. This is not a short sale.

Primary Features:

* 3 bedrooms including master suite on main floor.

* 2.5 baths * Main floor laundry (washer and dryer included).

* 2010 and 2011 total utility bills averaged $1048 annually or $87.38/month.

* Buildblock insulated concrete form walls.

* Anderson 400 windows.

* Soytherm spray foam insulation.

* Toto dual flush ADA compliant toilets.

* Cement fiberboard siding.

* Premium Kasselwood metal roof shingles.

* No mechanical HVAC, a Tulikivi masonry stove provides soothing radiant heat with backup electric baseboards. (www.tulikivi.com, model TTU2700 with bake oven)

* The entire house has been heated by roughly 7-10 face cords of hardwood firewood per winter. Wood was cut from the property (ash and sugar maple), purchased commercially this would be roughly $425.

* One fire a day is sufficient for 95% of the heating season. No constant stoking required.

* Energy star ceiling fans provide all the “AC” you ever need.

* Window overhangs allow in winter sun but block summer sun.

* Maple, tile, and polished concrete flooring throughout.

* Solar hot water system with 85 gallon insulated Marathon electric water heater.

* No-VOC paints, floor treatments, and caulks.

* Energy Star refrigerator (included) and washer.

* Soapstone countertops.

* 80% efficiency whole house Heat Recovery Ventilator (filters included).

* Pre-wired for future wind turbine installation. Fantastic wind generator site with no obstructions.

* External plug and wiring ready for a full size home generator.

* Home architectural plans available upon request.

Garage:

* Built summer 2011.

* Detached 3 stall garage with a 12′ x 12′ basement and adjacent 12′ x 12′ stone floored ventilated root cellar.

* 24′ x 24′ loft over the middle two stalls designed to be finished for guest quarters or home office.

* North stall could be used for storage, tractor, or third vehicle. South stall could easily be finished as a workshop.

* Cement fiberboard siding and standing seam metal roof.

* Large double doors facing the garden for easy entry/exit with garden equipment.

* Plans available for enclosed walkway between garage and house mudroom.

Additional Features:

* Organic garden, fruit trees, nut trees, raspberries, and asparagus planted

* Built in entertainment center and kitchen seating/storage

* Programmable in floor radiant electric heat in all bathrooms

* Automatic dog door

* Fantastic birding site with nesting eastern meadowlarks, bobolinks, upland sandpipers, northern harriers, American woodcock, and others commonly seen from the back windows.

* Additional acreage available includes 25 acres of northern hardwoods managed for sustainable timber production and wildlife habitat. 7 acres of native warm season grasses were planted in 2011. Deer and turkeys are harvested every year from this property. Owner is a wildlife habitat biologist.

* Great neighbors and countryside views.

More information and pictures of the home can be found at the following links. All pictures were taken prior to additional improvements and construction of the detached garage and root cellar. Cut and paste links into your browser.

LEED Certification score sheet and description

https://greenhomeinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/first-LEED-certified-home-in-Grand-Traverse-County.pdf

Northern Express article on the home.

http://www.northernexpress.com/michigan/article-4582-leeding-the-way_green-homes.html

2009 Michigan Energy Fair Renewable Energy Home Tour:

http://www.glrea.org/events/MichiganEnergyFair2009/RE.html

See Listing http://www.forsalebyowner.com/listing/PER61

LEED for Homes 4th Public Comment Period – We need your voice!

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LEED 2012 4th Public Comment is now live, until Midnight May 28th EST.  Visit  http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2601  to view the draft.

 Note that only the comments that are available for comment are those that have had any substantive changes since 3rd PC, which aren’t many. A summary of changes can be found here: https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=18945.

Don’t forget to register to vote before Tuesday, May 15th at www.usgbc.org/vote.

Ravenswood Chicago LEED Gold Home

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See project profile:

More project Details & Design Firm: http://www.bbaworld.com/pages/Press/Press-Releases/LEED.html

Top 10 Neighborhood in Nation just got greener with new LEED Home

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The home at 1135 North Grove has earned LEED Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for achievement in green homebuilding and design. It will be the first residence in Oak Park to receive LEED certification, and this new custom home was built for less than $150 per square foot.

1135 North Grove is one of 40 homes in Chicagoland that have been certified using LEED (view the LEED Project Profile).  The single-family home was built by Wicklow Development Group, renowned for their expertise in green building and historic preservation. Through their commitment to green homebuilding, Wicklow Development Group is helping to keep homeownership affordable. Green homes have substantially lower utility bills[1] and may qualify for advantageous financing, lower insurance rates and government incentives.

“As a LEED Platinum home, 1135 North Grove is at the national forefront of green homes, and serves as a model of healthy and efficient living for the entire community,” said Jason La Fleur, Regional Director for the Green Home Institute, who also served as the third-party verifier for the project. “Their example can help us all to live better by reducing our environmental footprint, cutting the costs of our utility bills, and coming home to a healthier place to live.” La Fleur is hosting a free webinar on May 9 for real estate professionals interested in learning more about LEED homes.

Oak Park Solar PV panels
Solar panels on the roof of 1135 Grove

1135 North Grove reduces energy use 66% below the typical new home built to code.  The four bedroom project features low-e argon windows, high efficiency lighting fixtures, detailed attention to preventing air leakage, and blown-in fiberglass insulation.  Other energy efficiency upgrades include a geothermal heating system which also provides most hot water heat, and a rarely-used backup electric water heater. An ultra-efficient electric induction cooktop is used in the kitchen. The roof angle was optimized for solar panels which produce electricity to power the home, without visually disturbing the home’s facade.

Located in one of the “Top 10 Neighborhoods in the Nation” according to the American Planning Association, the home features a very walk-friendly location in the heart of a neighborhood with many historic homes designed by notable architects.

Homeowner Tim Carey says, “Fitting a new construction home into a historic neighborhood creates a challenge for designers and builders. This project demonstrates that you can build a beautiful, traditional looking home, with a green design and features, yet keep with the character of an established community such as Oak Park.”

Electric induction cooktop and high end kitchen finishes


Induction cooktop and high-end kitchen finishes

As a result of incorporating energy saving products and technologies, 1135 North Grove has achieved an impressively low 34 Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score. Additionally, the combination of electric using-and-producing systems at 1135 North Grove has resulted in affordable energy bills for the homeowners who have been living in the home for a full year. The house has had modestly low electricity bills, and as an all-electric home no natural gas is used, so there are no natural gas bills.

A heat recovery ventilator provides fresh air distributed throughout the home to keep it healthy for the homeowners and recovering some of the energy used to condition the air. Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and locally sourced materials have been used throughout the house.  Proving building green can be done affordably, 1135 North Grove was built with a total construction cost of $145 per square foot after renewable energy incentives, below the Chicagoland average construction cost for custom new homes.

 

Learn more and see construction photos at the project web site for 1135 North Grove, or view theLEED Project Profile for the home.

About Wicklow Development Group

The Wicklow Development Group LLC are landmark building and restoration professionals, and have been a Chicagoland builder for over 25 years with a passion for historic preservation and green building expertise.   For more information, contact Paul Wicklow 708-351-9683, or visitwww.wicklowdevelopmentgroup.com/greenhome.

How I made millions remodeling Green.

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Let’s face it, if it doesn’t put money in your client’s pockets, or your pockets, it is very likely not going to happen.  Sustainability is just fine as a concept but where the pedal hits the metal is on the accounting ledger.  Learn how one remodeler, who refuses to do anything except Green remodeling, has built a super successful, industry-leading company, which (even during the down turn) provided ample resources allowing him to take 3 months off each year.  How does your vacation schedule look?

Speaker

Michael Anschel, Michael, a nationally recognized expert on Green design, remodeling and building, writes, trains, and speaks for various publications and events around the nation. He is the owner of Otogawa-Anschel Design-Build a award winning nationally celebrated design-build firm, and CEO of Verified Green Inc. which consults with Local Government, product manufacturers, suppliers, builders, and architects on Green building. Michael led the effort to

develop MN GreenStar, and now serves as Technical Research and Development liaison on the board of directors. Called “one of the nation’s most outspoken green building advocates” by MN Business, Michael successfully straddles the building, design, and green worlds by engineering profitability into sustainability.

Date/Time: May 24, 2012 / 6pm – 7:00pm / Discussion Follows

Cost: Absolutely Free

Location: BRAG facility, 179 Little Lake Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Registration: Click here to register >>

Phone/Fax: 734.769.9784

Email: mklement@architecturalresource.com