Published: October 10, 2008 11:47 pm            

Energy-efficient homes reduce gas emissions

EDMOND — Edmond home builders are making it easy to own an energy-efficient home as they move toward “green practices.”

Among these home builders are McCaleb Homes and Ideal Homes. However, while “going green” and becoming energy efficient is just now becoming popular, Steve Hull and Kathy Reilly had an energy-efficient home, complete with a geothermal system cooling and heating system, built for their family in 1992. That home now is on the market at 5804 Wilson Drive in the Timberlake Estates through Prudential Alliance Realty.

“We can see the trend in customers wanting energy-efficient homes,” said Jennifer Hodgens, sales manager for McCaleb Homes. “It might be a little more expensive but it makes the home a better investment.”

Caleb McCaleb, owner of McCaleb Homes, said they will be building 174 Energy Star efficient “bungalow” homes in Arbor Creek Summit, which will be a third-of-a-mile east of Interstate 35 on Second Street (Route 66). The first phase includes 35 homes and is scheduled to be completed within a year.

In order to be labeled Energy Star efficient, a home must be at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code. Builders work with Home Energy Raters to select from a number of features when planning and building homes, including effective insulation, high-performance windows, tight construction and ducts, effective heating and cooling equipment and lighting and appliances.

Vernon McKown, president of sales for Ideal Homes, said using less energy means power plants are giving off less gas emissions.

“The most environmentally friendly thing we can do is save natural resources,” he said.

Cooling and Heating Systems

“The key to success of energy efficiency is to look at the whole house as a system,” McKown said.

Ideal Homes built two additions, Valencia, at Northwest 178th between Pennsylvania Avenue and May Avenue, and Marble Leaf, at Northwest 150th between Western and Pennsylvania Avenue, that are in the Edmond school district. He said Ideal Homes are 40 percent more energy efficient than the typical code home.

“I think you can make a home energy efficient for a few thousands dollars,” McKown said.

He said their home buyers save $50-$80 a month or $600-$1,000 a year.

“The first thing you want to do is upgrade your cooling and heating systems,” McKown said. “The heating and cooling systems are your largest energy consumer in your house.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy Web site (www.energycodes.gov), air conditioners and heat pumps must have a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 13. McKown said their homes have a SEER of 14. He said each step improves the system and brings down the cost of utility bills by using less energy to heat and cool the home.

Ideal Homes also installs furnaces that are 92 percent efficient as opposed to a furnace in typical code houses that only are 80 percent efficient.

Geothermal System

One feature that has yet to become a popular trend, is the use of a geothermal heating and cooling system.

“It is by far the Cadillac of the systems,” McKown said.

Ingrid Young, Prudential Alliance Realty, said most homes have air-to-air heat pumps, which bring in outside air to heat and cool the home. However, the heat pump at Timberlake Estates uses water from the home’s 160-foot wells, which stay between 55 degrees and 60 degrees, to provide heating and air conditioning by extracting temperature from the ground. The water is then dumped into a pond, which sits on the 2.75 acreage home site.

“The heat pumps use less energy to heat the house than an air-to-air heat pump,” Young said.

Another factor in the home’s low cooling and heating bill is the 2,000-square-foot underground walk out basement.

“The fact that the basement is underground means it’s stabilized,” Young said.

The temperature from the ground is always 55 degrees so the cool air from the basement climbs up to the rest of the house, which means less air conditioning is needed.

Young said the cooling and heating bills for the entire 5,600-square-foot home costs between $58-$140 a month.

Bobby Wallace, owner of Wallace Mechanical, said they are in the process of installing a geothermal system at 3716 Bonaire Place in the Cottages of Stonebridge on 33rd Street and Boulevard. The construction project is the city’s first Edmond Electric Energy Efficient Home or E4. According to a previous Sun article, Edmond Electric partnered with Red Rock Builders to promote the need to produce an advanced energy-efficient home.

“I don’t think they can do anything more to this home to make it more energy efficient,” Wallace said.

He said a geothermal system might be more expensive to install because wells have to be drilled, but it saves people about 60 percent on their heating and cooling bills. He said it uses ground earth soil to dissipate the heat or pick up heat and bring it into the home.

“There are no pollutants going through the system whatsoever,” Wallace said.

He said a conventional heating and cooling system has the potential to emit carbon monoxide into the atmosphere.

Duct leakage

McKown said people also can make their homes more energy efficient by having less duct leakage. According to a 1999 study by the Department of Energy, leakage in a typical code home is 27 percent. McKown said Ideal Homes only have about 5 percent leakage.

Gray tape still is used to seal up ducts, McKown said. He said it is better to use mastic sealant. According to the Energy Star Web site (www.energystar.gov), homeowners that want to do the job on their own, should seal air leaks using mastic sealant and insulating all the accessible ducts. Energy Star warns against using tape because it is not long lasting.

High performance windows

“The second really affordable component is high-performance windows,” McKown said.

Hodgens said vinyl versus aluminum window frames help seal windows tighter because they do not expand or contract as much as aluminum. She said the windows in Arbor Creek Summit homes will have low E glass, which is an invisible film that blocks out ultra violet rays from the sun. Hodgens said the glass basically acts as giant sun glasses for a house. McKown said low E glass reduces ultra violet rays coming in through windows by 80 percent. By keeping out radiant heat, homeowners reduce energy bills and keep their carpet and furniture from fading, Hodgens said.

“You can do this for a few hundred dollars,” McKown said. “It improves the performance level of your heating and cooling system.”

Another way to prevent air leaks is to use blown-in fiber glass or cellulose insulation versus batted insulation.

“It helps the insulation get in the nooks and crannies around electrical sockets and phone jacks,” Hodgens said.

Wallace said the E4 home will have foam envelope insulation.

“It’s pretty much the best insulation package you can get,” he said. “It’s not allowing the heat load to even get to the attic.”

The foam is sprayed along the roof line of a house. Wallace said that in the homes they have tested, the temperature of the attic only has a 15-20 degree difference than the rest of the home.

        

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