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Across the Fence:  Certified Green House  |
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kydeere40744
True Blue Farmgirl
1132 Posts
Jessica
Kentucky
USA
1132 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 21 2008 : 7:20:22 PM
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Lexington, KY now has its first certified "green house." Here is an article in the Lexington paper about it:
Lexington's first certified 'green' house
By Beverly Fortune
Gov. Steve Beshear got first-hand experience turning a house "green" when he picked up an insulation wand and sprayed fiberglass insulation over an uncompleted wall, helping launch a new energy efficiency program in Kentucky's home building industry.
Green Build Kentucky, designed to bring more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly houses to Kentucky, was rolled out in Lexington at Kentucky's first certified "green" house on Blackford Parkway. The program is sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Kentucky.
Beshear said that with the state's cheap utility costs, Kentuckians had grown "sloppy" in wise use of energy. "Fortunately, that mind set is changing," he said.
The voluntary Green Build program incorporates the green guidelines of the National Association of Home Builders and meets Energy Star standards for windows, insulation and heating and cooling duct work. A developer of the federal Energy Star standards came to Kentucky twice in 2007 to help set up training sessions for builders.
To qualify as "green," a house earns points for things like building on an abandoned lot, orienting the structure to take advantage of the sun's rays for heating and using renewable lumber for framing, doors and flooring.
Houses are rated according to their energy use by independent inspectors who then issue an energy certificate.
"Building green is easy; it just takes a new way of thinking about things," said Bill Hodges, chairman of the task force that worked 18 months to develop Green Build.
"It's about being precise. Every potential spot where air can leak into your house has to be sealed," said Chris Woolery, a partner in Ideal Home Builders that built the Blackford Parkway house.
Increasing energy efficiency pushes construction costs between 1 percent to 3 percent above standard construction, Woolery said. That's about $3,000 on a $300,000 house, "which is the typical cost of one of our houses," Woolery's partner Matt Fiscus said.
In April, Ideal Home was one of five in the United States to receive an award from the EPA for leadership in Energy Star Promotions.
Ball Homes, the state's largest home builder, is also working toward building exclusively Energy Star homes, said Mike Ball, vice president of construction. "It's one way to keep us competitive. Anything you do to make a house energy efficient, people will pay attention to."
Kentucky has 1,600 certified Energy Star homes "that save an average $447 in energy costs" per year, Beshear said. There are 23 commercial Energy Star buildings, including 16 schools.
Bob Weiss, executive vice president of the Kentucky home builders, said home buyers are beginning to ask whether a house has energy-efficient features and is environmentally friendly.
Houses are large energy consumers, and making houses tighter and using energy efficient appliances is the way people can cut their energy consumption "the most and the quickest," Hodges said. "Twenty percent of the energy we use is for transportation, 20 percent for manufacturing, 20 percent for work and play and 40 percent goes to where we live."
~Jessica in Kentucky & Farmgirl Sisterhood #137~
Be sure to visit my blog & Crafty Clipart for some of my photographs:
http://bluegrassprincess.blogspot.com/
http://www.craftyclipart.com |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2008 : 06:06:09 AM
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That's good to know, Jess. Goodness knows, we are trying very hard to get and remain 'green' in everything we do for our old house. We changed our minds about using the roll pink insulation and are going to price soy spray-on, American farmer generated, insulation(we're determined to find a way to afford it). And I bought bamboo flooring at an auction to use for the kitchen floor. And we sure do have a lot of recycled building material and fixtures(the kitchen sink was thrown out and picked up from a curb). I just have to disagree with the place in the article where they state that the cost only increases from 1 to 3 percent. I wish! The insulation looks to be about 1/3 more. And the furnace adventure(two furnaces, two heat pumps and a dual system for the first floor) - well, it really is a challenge and a commitment. But for treading on the earth with a lighter step, well, it's just worth it.
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
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kydeere40744
True Blue Farmgirl
1132 Posts
Jessica
Kentucky
USA
1132 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2008 : 07:57:04 AM
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I was talking to my hubby about the house this morning. We realized that probably the greenest house you could live in is a farmhouse....meaning there was no airconditioner or heater...it was greener to put up the windows than to turn on the AC. haha. We've actually have kept our windows up and I have yet turned on the AC even on the nice warm sunny days. I love the feeling of fresh air rolling through the house.
If sometime in the future if we all make it down to Berea, I'll have to show ya'll the Ecovillage. It is certified green as well and has some neat things about it.
~Jessica in Kentucky & Farmgirl Sisterhood #137~
Be sure to visit my blog & Crafty Clipart for some of my photographs:
http://bluegrassprincess.blogspot.com/
http://www.craftyclipart.com |
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CountryBorn
True Blue Farmgirl
1545 Posts
Mary Jane
New York
USA
1545 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2008 : 07:57:45 AM
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Boy, anyone could tell we were in the greenhouse gardening business! The first thing I thought when I read your topic was yop built a greenhouse!! I better go get more coffee! That is a wonderful thing though to have an actual green house. More and more of them are popping up all over. They are pretty pricey right now around here. But, hopefully in time the price will moderate.
MJ
There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. Freya Stark |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2008 : 08:16:19 AM
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I was surprised that their "green" house was using fiberglass insulation when there are some really great recycled denim insulation and some really great spray foam insulation made from soybeans.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2008 : 08:27:17 AM
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I'd love to visit the Ecovillage, Jess. And the part in the article about using the sun's rays for heating is so ironic. So far, I've not met an old farmhouse that WASN'T oriented on the land so that it WOULD use the sun's rays for heating. And to make sure to catch the breezes. Not to mention tree placement to shade and cool in the summer. That's just good old fashioned common sense. ;) Somewhere along the way, housebuilders and city planners just forgot that.
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
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miss wilma
True Blue Farmgirl
3410 Posts
Wilma
Knob Lick
Ky
USA
3410 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2008 : 08:38:36 AM
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You are right Janice we have lots of trees around our house, Our house is well insulated so we dont have to use the air much just push up the windows, then in the winter we have one wall heater in the living room and a wood stove in the basement with floor vents, We never have to turn the heater higher than low. We use a large attic fan if needed in the attic to pull hot air out. Not very modern but great on the budget, the old farmers knew what they were doing alright.
Farm Girl #96
http://www.picturetrail.com/misswilmasplace
http://misswilma.blogspot.com/ |
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Across the Fence: Certified Green House |
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Certified Green House
