HOUS 7 - Greening Affordable Housing

Thursday, April 30, 2009  ·  8:30 AM - 10:10 AM

Reducing energy use while providing comfort and durability is the holy grail of affordable housing. Several recent homes by Habitat for Humanity of Lowell, MA were designed and constructed with those goals in mind. One is a new 1,350 sq. ft. house, and the other is a retrofit of a comparable size circa 1850 farmhouse. The final design for both homes exceeds international energy code requirements by 50%. The new home is completed; a half year of utility bills will be shared. The retrofit is near completion; it relies on strategies that were demonstrated effective in the construction of the new home. Both homes received or will receive LEED for Homes certification.

 

By attending this session, participants will

 

1. Gain an understanding of detailing for better thermal performance of enclosures through the addition of insulated sheathing and the use of spray foams
2. Learn green building strategies that can be used in affordable homes
3. See how mechanical system choices became integrated with the high performance enclosure designs

 

Type: 100 Minute Session
Track: Affordable Housing
CEU: American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI)   Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET)   National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI)   National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI)  

Course Presenter(s):

• Betsy Pettit

Course Document(s):

• HOUS7_Pettit