Habitatpage

Habitat For Humanity Green Home Project   

56-54 Risley Street, Hartford          

Habitat for Humanity Banner


Updated January 6, 2006

The Habitat Green Home duplex is close to completion. Unofficially, based on the additions in this entry, the finished product may result in the greenest duplex in Hartford. The Faniel and Washington families will be experiencing home ownership in a very sustainable way.

This phase of the construction has been enhanced by the addition of some cool, green technology and products. Heating and cooling, eco-friendly paints and flooring and water usage are the focus of this entry.

Energy

                     

Mounted on each roof are ten Sunpower SPR 220 panels which are designed for use in on-grid residential and commercial systems where the highest module efficiency and energy delivery are critical. Utilizing 72 series connected A-300 solar cells, the ten SPR-220 panels deliver 2200 watts for extremely high power density with total module efficiency approaching 18%. There are other parts such as the inverters, DC disconnect and Unirac Solar Mounts.

The homes will also receive rebates from Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF). The two systems will receive the maximum $5/watt. The $5/watt rate is based on the design efficiency of the system. That means the CCEF will calculate how much electricity your PV system as designed will produce as compared to an equivalent system under ideal conditions. CCEF then applies that “design factor” to the $5/watt based on the PTC rating of your PV panels to calculate the rebate amount. Here are the ideal conditions that will maximize the rebate:

1. PV panels with a high PTC rating
2. An inverter that is 94% efficient or better
3. No shading on the site
4. PV panels facing solar south (plus or minus 20 degrees)
5. PV panels tilted at a 35 degree angle
6. Your installer can calculate the projected rebate amount based on your specific site and equipment.


Source: CT Clean Energy Fund

Heating and Cooling

                        


The homes will receive heating and cooling from one of the home's sponsor Carrier Corporation. (Nationwide Insurance is the other home's sponsor and United Technologies Corporation, Carrier's parent, is also lending a hand with technical assistance.) The boiler is an Energy Star rated Ultra Efficient High Performance 90 gas boiler. It's the most energy efficient residential boiler Carrier offers. The systems highlights include:

1. Up to 90% AFUE
2. Gas-fired
3. Integrated boiler control
4. Cast-aluminum heat exchanger
5. Optional PVC pipe installation
6. 15-year heat exchanger limited warranty
7. 5 year parts limited warranty

Source: Carrier Corporation

Paints

The interior walls are painted with Valspar low voc (Volatile Organic Compounds) paint. Paints and finishes release low level toxic emissions into the air for years after application. The source of these toxins is a variety of VOC's which, until recently, were essential to the performance of the paint.

New environmental regulations, and consumer demand, have led to the development of low-VOC and zero-VOC paints and finishes. Most paint manufacturers now produce one or more non-VOC variety of paint. These new paints are durable, cost-effective and less harmful to human and environmental health.

Source: www.eartheasy.com


Water - Dual Flush Toilets

                             

The homes have dual flush toilets. The manufacturer is Toto (.9 and 1.6 gpf). The dual flush allows for proper water usage. Low flow (1.6 gals/flush or .9gals/flush) reduces water consumption and waste Dual flush option encourages even further water conservation. Switching to dual flush, water efficient toilets and other water saving plumbing fixtures could save the average household "2500-15,000" gallons of water annually and as much as $50 to $300 a year and more on water and wastewater bills. You can help save our environment, save money and enjoy luxury plumbing fixtures without flushing problems.

Shower Heads – Oxygenics®
Pays for itself the first year in water and energy savings, a .5 reduction in gpm saves 4,300 gallons (4 person household)

Flooring

               

The homes bedrooms are using eco-friendly recycled carpet provided by Interface, Inc. an industry leader in sustainability. The modular tile system is very user friendly not only for the volunteers who are installing it but for the home owner who spills on it. The home owners can pick-up the stained tile and replace it with a new one. They also can be used to replace high traffic areas.

                               

The the first floor surfaces in the homes are covered by marmoleum from Forbo and Limestone PVC-free flooring is being used in the upstairs bathrooms. Both have been provided by Carpet World of Avon. Marmoleum is manufactured with natural recycled contact, has a long life cycle and low maintenance costs.

Home Owner Education

The task of maintaining these homes will be very important to overall goal of cost savings for the home owners. The green technologies being used require some attention. With solar panels and a state of the art boiler it does seem a bit overwhelming but with the help of The Habitat staff, the home owners will learn how about maintenance of their new homes by learning best practices in such areas as energy management and water usage.



Updated September 6, 2006

The duplex is really taking shape. This entry is not about a green aspect of the duplex construction but about the safety of workers during the construction. In the last entry, the focus was regarding the value of volunteers. Their work is awesome but there are certain areas that are not volunteer friendly. One of those is the roof.

Construction of the roof of any building takes lots of skill. Most volunteers are not prepared or expected to climb up to the roof top and help build the roof. Nor should they be put in an unsafe situation by laying shingles. What Hartford Area Habitat personnel decided to do with the Green Home and make it volunteer friendly was build the roof on the ground and then raise it onto the house. Workers were able to contribute and this strategy worked well as you will see by the pictures below. Besides being the safe way to go, it’s also the cool way to go.

         

 

                      




Updated August 12, 2006

Throughout the last sixteen years and with the hard work and dedication of volunteers, homeowners and staff Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity (HAHfH) has completed over 100 homes!

                                                       

Volunteers provide most of the labor, and individual and corporate donors provide money and materials to build Habitat houses. Partner families invest hundreds of hours of labor - "sweat equity" - into building their homes and the homes of others. Homeowners do have to pay a mortgage. Eligibility is based on ability to pay. This means that future partner families have enough income to cover the monthly payment for the new house as well as your other expenses. A standard three-bedroom Habitat house costs about $95,000 and the average homeowner spends $600-650 a month to own his or her house: principal, property taxes, and property insurance. Utilities are not included.

                                                    

Volunteers are the backbone of the Habitat operation. Most are there to get dirty and do some hard work. Experienced construction workers are Crew Leaders. Some come as representatives of corporate sponsors and others are members of local churches. Yet others do it to learn a new trade. Some volunteers take non-construction tasks like providing and serving Coffee Breaks. These individuals provide morning snacks on Saturdays to builders. Site hosts welcome volunteers to the construction site, have them sign in, pinpoint any newcomers and have those people listen to the morning talk by Construction welcome person. They also ask newcomers what attracted them to HAHfH and what skills they can offer.


Updated June 21, 2006

The duplex is moving right along. This entry will review the management of the project’s waste.

                       

Nationally recognized Oakleaf Waste Management, based in East Hartford, has donated resources and expertise to make sure that the disposal of waste is done in the appropriate manner. Waste Resources, Inc. in South Windsor, a certified hauler of Oakleaf, is donating hauling services to the project.


Oakleaf, working with Waste Resources, has donated trash containers on site to collect various materials. As part of the Construction Waste Management Plan developed with Habitat for Humanity, Oakleaf placed one container for cardboard recycling and another large open top container to collect all other construction and demolition debris.

Once filled, the Habitat supervisor on-duty contacts Oakleaf's 24/7/365 Customer Service Center to arrange an empty and return of the container. Filled containers are transported to a Hartford area Material Recovery Facility where the materials are separated by commodity type in order to be recycled. Only the remaining "fines" or small particles are then disposed in a landfill.

Throughout the process, the amount of materials in each commodity is documented and this data will be reviewed by Oakleaf and Habitat personnel to better improve waste stream flow to maximize recycling effectiveness.

Oakleaf is the nation's fastest growing waste outsourcing company. It has nearly 300 employees and a nationwide network of 4,600 Oakleaf certified haulers who serve over 70,000 locations across North America. Oakleaf clients include United Technologies, General Electric and Albertson's.

To learn more about Oakleaf, call Marc at 860-256-2335.  To find out more about Waste Resources, call Lucille at 860-289-5359.

 



Updated June 5, 2006

The first floor of the duplex is complete. There are several green aspects worth noting:

          

The walls are built using OSB (oriented strand board). OSB is environmentally smart because it’s manufactured from a wide range of fast-growing and relatively small trees. The production process uses a maximum amount of wood fiber from each tree harvested, making better use of forest resources. It also has a high tolerance for moisture. To find out more about OSB board go to TopNotch

The home uses Georgia Pacific Wood I Beams which feature FiberStrong® Oriented Strand Board (OSB) webs fitted into high-grade solid (finger-jointed) sawn lumber. Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) is used to create beams to support the stairwells. Wide-flange joists deliver greater load capacity and support longer spans which eliminates the need for center beams or load bearing walls inside the living area as well as eliminating the need for lolly column support in basement spaces. I-beams also provide wider spacing which results in fewer pieces to install. This also saves time, labor and materials cost.

It should also be noted that the studs are spaced 2 feet on center instead of the traditional 16 inches. This allows for less material which has the potential to lower costs. With a wider span, the home will also be more energy efficient by having more space to insulate.


Updated May 9, 2006


Habitat held a Wall Raising event on Monday, May 8.  Before the actual Wall Raising, a small group of about 50 volunteers and onlookers heard from Hartford Area Habitat President Don Shaw. The group also heard from Geraud Darnis, president of Carrier Corporation and Terrence Williams, NE regional vice president of Nationwide the two lead sponsors of the Green Home Project. However, the most inspiring speeches came from the future home owners of 56-54 Risley Street, Eleja Faniel and Jonna Washington. Employees of Carrier Corporation and Nationwide came to the event to lend a hand and some muscle.

            
    Volunteers hear from Green Home leaders.             Carrier employees raise the wall.
  

           
                   "Look mom, I'm on TV!"                                  Home owners Eleja Faniel (left) and
                                                                                                                  Jonna Washington.

Updated April 25, 2006

A Green Foundation For the Duplex

The duplex foundation for 56-54 Risley Street has been poured and has set.  The concrete used, was poured by Tilcon and is mixed with GranCem® a product manufactured by Holcim, a world leader in sustainable concrete building products.

GranCem® is a high quality ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) product, used as partial replacement for Portland cement in concrete, grout and masonry. GranCem® uses 30% recycled content and is less expensive and stronger than conventional concrete. According to the National Slag Association, slags are produced in many metallurgical operations throughout the world and are considered a co-product of the production of iron and steel. Slag is an environmentally sound material that has been used to aid in the remediation of many environmentally damaged areas such as Acid Mine Discharge.

 

It should be also noted that the property was once a parking lot. The asphalt from the lot was ground up and used as the base for the cement floor and will also be used as the base of the driveway.



Habitat for Humanity Construction Site
Bert and Shea, pictured above, will help guide Hartford
Habitat’s first endeavor into building a green home.  

It's Easy Being Green - Starting April, 2006, Habitat will begin constructing a duplex home using green building technology.  Buildingctgreen.com will diary the project, allowing our visitors to learn about constructing a green home from the ground up.

Habitat for Humanity is partnering with two families in Hartford’s North East neighborhood by providing an opportunity for them to build and own their own homes. That in itself is a wonderful gift but this gift will be enhanced by its eco-friendly building materials. Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity will construct its first green home and AuctorVerno will assist in promotion and project coordination. The project is made possible with consulting support provided by Hartford based United Technologies Corporation and Global Green USA and sponsorship support by Carrier Corporation and Nationwide.

According to Hartford Habitat executive director Julie Donahue, “This is our first green home. We will use this project as a template for future homes and we hope to have the opportunity to try many new technologies.”

The hope for all parties involved in this project is that green building will be viewed as a valuable and viable construction option. To help publicize the home and the green building cause, AuctorVerno will donate a page on its Web site, buildingctgreen.com. The web page will include a diary of the building’s progress. Adam Ney, co-founder of AuctorVerno, hopes to build awareness about sustainable design so that others will follow the trend. “If Habitat for Humanity can build a green home, it is in reach of every homeowner and developer who is building in Connecticut today.”


For more information on this project, contact Habitat at 860-541-2208 or check their website at www.hartfordhabitat.org .