How we are Building Green

Not only does Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity feel that it is necessary to make our home mortgages affordable by providing a zero-interest loan, but we are also concerned with making the entire process of homeownership affordable. Each home we build has a variety of aspects that make them extremely energy efficient, helping the environment and ensuring that the new Partner Family will spend less on utility bills. According to an independent third-party energy rater, Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity builds the most energy efficient homes in the Iowa City area. HERS ratings of Iowa Valley Habitat homes range from 53 to 61.

High Efficiency Home Heating. The Evolution 96 Gas Furnace from Bryant combines top-of-the-line performance with bottom-line energy savings, with an energy efficiency rating of up to 96% AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency).

Efficient Shower and Faucet Heads. Inexpensive and simple to install, low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators reduce home water consumption as much as 50% and reduce energy cost of heating water by as much as 50%. 

Soy-Based Earth Foam Insulation. Earth Foam spray-in-place polyurethane insulation is 70% bio based polyurethane. This specially developed product has excellent thermal and acoustical insulation qualities. Earth Foam expands in the wall or the roof cavity to completely fill all spaces and therefore is a highly efficient seal against air infiltration, the number one source of energy loss.

ERVs. Energy Recovery Ventilators provide a controlled way of ventilating a home of airborne impurities such as radon, formaldehyde, tobacco smoke, nitrogen dioxides, carbon monoxide, and pesticides while minimizing energy loss. ERVs reduce the cost of heating ventilated air in the winter by transferring heat from the warm inside air being exhausted to the fresh but cold supply air. In summertime, the inside air cools the warmer supply air to reduce ventilation cooling costs. 

Tankless Water Heaters. Avoiding the standby heat loss of traditional storage water heaters, tankless water heaters provide two to five gallons of hot water per minute on an on-demand basis.
CFL Lighting. An Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) saves approximately $30 over its lifetime and pays for itself in about six months. It uses 75% less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.

Automatic Set-Back Programmable Thermostat. The average household spends more than $2,000 a year on energy bills — nearly half of which goes to heating and cooling. Homeowners can save about $180 a year by properly setting their programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings.

High Performance Windows. New Energy Star-qualified windows provide 14% more insulation than regular windows and reduce energy bills by up to 15%. In addition, these windows deliver more comfort, create less condensation, and protect furnishings from sun damage better than conventional clear-glass, double-paned alternatives. Extra south-facing windows are built into the design of the home to take advantage of solar-heat gains.

Energy Star Appliances. Energy Star qualified appliances use 10–50% less energy and water than standard models.

Advanced Framing and Building Sciences Techniques. Iowa Valley Habitat utilizes a variety of framing techniques designed to reduce the amount of lumber used and waste generated in the building process, such as rectangular design of the home to reduce concrete costs, insulating headers, raised energy heel trusses and California corners. Spacing is 24 inches on center, allowing for one-third less lumber used and more room for insulation. Putting roof trusses directly above wall studs increases the overall strength of the home structure.

Dual Flush Toilets. Dual flush technology combines features of a two-button actuator allowing the choice of either a 1.6 or 0.8 gallon flush options which increases water conservation.

See how you can use techniques like these to increase your home’s energy efficiency (and the amount of money in your bank account).